Walking in the Wind
by nikkitine
Summary: And then my soul saw you and it kind of went 'Oh there you are. I've been looking for you'.
1. Chapter 1

Grace blinked her eyes to refocus them on her sister-in-law. Rebecca was sat across from her in the extremely uncomfortable airport seats, gesturing wildly to Sol.

Her brute of a brother was smiling down at his wife like she was telling him the most interesting thing ever. Grace felt a pang of jealousy but quickly squashed it and turned her attention to their surroundings.

The airport looked more like a shopping mall than anything Grace had expected. The tiles under foot gleamed white and everywhere were people milling around. There were two glass elevators leading to an upper floor which had the appearance of a food mall. Several large open areas contained the hard metal seats they occupied.

The air was cool and only the faint aroma coming down from the food area gave it any scent. Some stairs lead up to a viewing deck where eager children watched the airplanes take off and land.

She must have drifted again because she felt her brother touch her knee; his rumbling voice startling her from her reverie. "Are you alright?"

Grace smiled at him and blinked the fog from her eyes, "I'm fine, Sol. I'm just tired from the meds."

She'd caught a bug from a colleague earlier in the week and her meds made her feel drowsy more often than not. Hence why she couldn't focus on one thing and had a surgical mask around her neck.

"If you feel sick, just let me know." She nodded at him and he smiled as he tucked Becca back into his side. She loved her sister-in-law to death and couldn't wait to see where she'd grown up.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, giving into the fog of sleep.

It only felt like a moment later that Sol was waking her up. She and Rebecca linked arms and sluggishly followed after him as he pushed the trolley with their bags. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm gonna sleep on the plane so I should be fine when we arrive." She patted Rebecca's hand and rested against her shoulder as they handed their boarding passes over. "Just don't leave me on the plane."

Both women giggled and then hid their faces as Solomon glanced back curiously. He hated being out of the loop – ever since he was little – and the look on his little sister's face was killing him.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, koʻu aloha." Rebecca smiled, blowing him a kiss. "Do you want the aisle seat?"

Solomon was a large man by nature and Grace knew he found flying difficult; even though he'd had more than enough experience traveling for his surfing. "ʻAe, you know I can't stand being stuck."

Rebecca nodded and prodded Grace into the window seat before settling down so she was sort of squished between the siblings. "Cozy."

Grace chuckled, she and Becca were around the same height and she was glad that she hadn't inherited her father's apparent Samoan large genes. She looked more like their mother who'd been born in Hawaii.

Grace snapped the surgical mask in place over her mouth and closed her eyes. Rebecca's soft chatter soothed her into a peaceful drowsiness a couple of minutes later.

* * *

Jacob sighed and tightened his hand around Renesmee's as they approached the small red house. They could both hear Billy muttering to himself about space and Jake rolled his eyes at Ness.

Becca and Sol were due in a few hours. While there was usually enough space for them, Sol had asked if he could bring his sister and Billy's sleeping arrangements had flown right out of the window.

"Dad!" Jake called as he pushed open the door. Billy appeared a few seconds later, smiling at his son and Renesmee. "What's up?"

Billy raised an imperial eyebrow and nodded his head towards the hallway. "I'm struggling with the idea of leaving Solomon's sister in Rachel's old room."

Jake followed his father into said room and sighed as he saw the problem. Since Rachel had decided to move to Toronto well over eight years ago, her old room had become a storage facility. "That might put a crick in her back." he chuckled as he stared at the boxes on the small bed.

"I don't think there'll be time to clean it, Jake." Billy sighed. "I should have done this earlier."

Jake bit his lip and glanced down the hall. Ness had gone into the kitchen to make coffee and he could hear her humming lightly. "Ness, do you think Bella would come clear this up for my dad?"

Renesmee stuck her head out of the door and nodded with a smile. "I'm sure mom would, yes."

Jake glanced back at his father and shrugged. "It's the fastest route and as soon as it's all safely stored in the shed, I'll clean the room myself."

Billy didn't say anything as he rolled himself out of the room and into the living room. Despite his best efforts, Billy still couldn't get over Bella. It'd been ten years now and Jake still had to wrestle with some members of the packs.

Renesmee called out that her mother was on the way and then danced out into the living room. She handed Billy a cup of coffee and settled on a seat opposite him. "Are you excited to see Rebecca, Billy?"

Jake settled next to her and pulled her close to his side, "I think dad's more excited about Bec's 'news'. He's hoping for a little Finau."

Billy clucked his tongue and sipped at his coffee, winking at Renesmee with a smile. Both Jake and Renesmee knew that Billy was actually hoping that Rebecca would announce her and Solomon's move back to La Push.

"Hello?" Bella's voice made all their heads turn to the front door. She looked dressier than usual – by Bella's standards – and smiled at Renesmee as her daughter stood to greet her. "I can't stay long, Jake."

"Yeah." Jake heaved himself up and motioned for Bella to follow him. "I wouldn't ask if dad didn't think it was _life and death_."

Bella chuckled and listened to him explain the situation. She didn't seem peeved that he was basically using her as a mule and set off with nothing more than a puff of air.

Jake watched her flit in and out, clearing and cleaning as she went. It sometimes still amazed him that his best friend was as powerful as she was.

He'd gotten over his hatred for what she and her family were a long while ago; though no one dared leave him and Rose alone in a room together.

They'd created a very peaceful coexistence. The Volturi hadn't really been heard of for seven years now and, though they still had a few rogues that wreaked havoc with the Forks population, they didn't have any major problems.

He glanced down as Renesmee touched his arm and blinked as Bella came to a halt in front of them. She feigned cleaning her hands and pecked her daughter's cheek, waved Jake goodbye and then disappeared again.

Jake shook his head and glanced around the room again. "Much better. Why don't you go get a bucket and mop while I get fresh linen's and a duster?"

* * *

Grace stared out of the window. Her expression was that of a baby seeing a shiny toy for the first time. Her fingers itched to grasp her camera and capture everything she was seeing but her equipment was in the trunk.

Rebecca was giving Sol detailed instructions on how to reach her father's house but she was very aware of Grace's awe. She knew that convincing her sister-in-law to come along would do both of their muses much good.

Grace sneezed and then cried out in pain as her forehead made contact with the window. Rebecca sniggered and handed her a tissue. "Not long now. Dad's so excited to meet you."

Grace smiled nervously. She hadn't ever been outside of Hawaii, even though her work offered the opportunity, and being in a place that looked so vastly different from home just added onto the fear of impressing Rebecca's family.

"When's the bonfire?" Sol enquired; Grace nearly groaned aloud. She'd almost forgotten that Billy Black had organized a beach bonfire to celebrate their arrival in La Push.

"Tomorrow." Rebecca hummed. "Dad wanted to give us time to settle in first and Sam's wife and Sue made threats about not having enough time to prepare the food."

Solomon scoffed and shook his head. He'd told Grace about Jacob's amazing eating abilities the last time they'd come back from visiting. She didn't believe him. "As long as they let the layman's dish up first…"

Their car pulled up to a driveway that led to a little house that looked more like a converted barn than anything else. Despite it's outward appearance, it still looked cozy. Grace sighed at the prospect of getting out in the rain again.

Billy and who she assumed was Jacob were standing on the porch, squinting out into the rain.

"Now or never." Sol laughed, throwing his door open and rushing to the back of the car to retrieve their bags. He was strong enough to carry everything to the men on the porch in one go.

Rebecca glanced back at her and nodded as she too dashed outside. Grace watched the woman laugh hysterically as she ran straight into Jacob's hug.

Billy was looking at the car nervously and Grace steeled herself by sucking in a few deep breaths. The trip to the porch seemed treacherous but she made it in one mud-less piece. She smiled up at her brother through her sopping hair and then glanced over at Rebecca.

"Grace, this is my annoying little brother." Becca laughed, pinching Jake's side. "Jake, this is Sol's sister."

Grace cleared her vision quickly and offered her hand to him in greeting. "Aloha 'auinalā! It's nice to meet you, Jacob."

Jake grinned broadly and, surprisingly, dragged her into a hug. His chest rumbled against her cheek as he laughed and Grace blushed at the feeling.

She was quickly handed off to Billy and then ushered into the house for coffee and cake. Billy assured everyone that he hadn't attempted to bake after Rebecca's worried face; the cake had come from Jacob's business partner's wife, Emily.

The house was tiny compared to Jacob and Solomon's large bodies and Grace smiled at the image they made; huddled together on a couch, eating chocolate fudge cake out of side plates with forks as large as their pinky fingers.

Grace blinked as her eyes suddenly felt thicker and then proceeded to nearly toss her cake to the floor as she had a sneeze attack. Rebecca immediately supplied her with more tissues and asked her father if she could run a hot bath.

Sol chuckled and shook his head at his stubborn sister. She'd inherited more than looks from their mother, that was for sure.

* * *

Paul huffed as he skidded to a stop at the treaty line. Though, now, it was more like a pack border. Sam had sent him over to discuss the 'party' of leeches with Leah.

Jared had taken the night off to spend it with Kim and so Paul had been left in charge of peace negotiations. Sam didn't like the Cullen's friends so close to home with Billy's bonfire and Paul agreed. The sooner the bloodsucker's left the better.

His eyes scanned the forest. He could hear Leah's heartbeat somewhere in the thicket and sighed as he realized that she was waiting for him to phase back.

He snorted and reeled himself back into his body, crossing his arms and blinking at the spot where she hid. "Don't waste my time, Leah."

He heard her growl and a moment later she was stepping out behind a tree with a glare. "You could put on pants, Paul."

Paul raised an eyebrow at her and stretched out his arms. "I thought you didn't have an appetite for what I'm packing, dearest Leah."

Leah's face screwed up and she crossed her arms. "I don't but that doesn't mean that I want to see it."

Paul smirked at her and bent down to yank on his cutoffs. It had been a while since he'd seen Leah and he couldn't give up the chance to harp on her. "Right, business…"

Leah sighed and leaned against a tree, rubbing her face wearily. "Ben and Tia will be gone by tonight. The Amazon's are leaving early tomorrow morning. Apparently, Cullen told them about Sam's… concerns and everyone felt that it'd be best."

Paul nodded happily. "Great. We'll need to know where they're crossing back so we can see that they're escorted properly."

Leah agreed easily and they spent the rest of the time catching up on lost time. Leah's wife, Autumn, was five months pregnant with their miracle baby and Paul could see that Leah wanted to burst from happiness.

The pair had met five years ago and, against all odds, Leah had imprinted. It was the most stressful day anyone on the reservation had ever experienced but also the happiest.

They were married two years later in a small ceremony on the beach and then the unexpected had happened. Autumn had become part of an experiment to create a baby from the DNA from two mothers. Three long years of struggling later and their first – very healthy - daughter was due in four months.

"Send my love to your wife." Paul smiled as he started unbuttoning his pants. "And give the kid a kiss from me."

Leah laughed dryly, waved him goodbye and disappeared back into the brush. Paul listened to her leave before dropping onto his own four feet and making the trek back home.

Collin was eagerly waiting to relieve him. _Thanks, buddy. Keep me updated._

 _No problem._ Collin barked playfully and set off in a run, howling as he felt the delicious stretch of his muscles.

 _Slow down, idiot!_ Quil growled irritably and set off after him.

Paul shook his head as he made his way home, phasing back just before he hit the tree line. His head hadn't even hit the pillow before he was asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys. Thank you for reading right now… it means the world to me.**

 **This is my first go at publishing anything I've written and so I'd really, really, really love to hear what you think so far. (On that note, I am writing this for fun and would appreciate it if you kept that in mind before saying something completely mean.)**

 **Also, let me know what you guys think about me maybe posting a link to where you guys can find character outfits.**

 **Smiles,**

 **Nikolene.**

* * *

Grace felt like death warmed over the next morning. Her fever had spiked during the night and it had left her playing a game of hot-n-cold with her blanket all night.

She pulled herself out of the soft bed and donned the winter coat Becca had made her buy before they'd left Kailua. She'd spent nearly an entire month's income on supplementing her winter wardrobe because she feared being underprepared.

"Aloha kakahiaka." She heard Jacob call as soon as she stepped into the small kitchen. He was seated at the small table with Rebecca, a large mug of coffee between his hands.

Grace smiled sleepily at his funny pronunciation and muttered a quick greeting. She poured her own cup of coffee and savored the dark taste for a moment before dropping into a seat next to Rebecca. "Where's Sol?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes and affected a snore in the back of her throat. Jacob nearly lost the coffee in his mouth but managed to swallow before he sprayed the girls. "He told me to go away and only wake him up if there was a fire."

Grace chuckled and proceeded to burst into a coughing fit. She hung her head and rubbed her tired eyes. "I don't think my medicine is working."

Rebecca patted her hand soothingly and then frowned before touching her forehead. "How long have you been feverish, kaikaina? Why didn't you tell us?"

Jacob coughed and shook his head at his sister; he could see the flash of irritation in Grace's eyes.

Grace pulled away from Rebecca's hand and sipped at her coffee again. She loved Rebecca but the fretting was getting too much. "I didn't want to wake you and I was fine with a cold compress. It kind of broke just after five."

Rebecca stared at her worriedly and then stood up and padded over to the phone. "I'm going to call Mrs. Uley. Her concoctions always helped when we were sick."

Jacob shared a sympathetic look with Grace and finished the rest of his coffee as he listened to Rebecca prattle to Sam's grandmother. The older woman sounded excited to see his sister and offered to stop by in twenty minutes with her tea. Rebecca was pleased when she finally got off the phone.

"I should probably get dressed, then." Grace sighed and smirked at Jacob as she passed him. "Since my warden is so adamant."

Rebecca tossed a paper towel at Grace's retreating back and laughed as Grace picked it up and pretended to blow her nose loudly down the hall.

"As stubborn as a damn mule that one…" Rebecca shook her head and then smiled at her brother. "How's Ness?"

Jacob smiled happily. While his sister didn't know about his _ability_ , she had found out about Renesmee when Billy had accidentally mentioned it over the phone.

Becca had been told that Jacob had met her a few years ago through Bella and that they were taking things slow. Both Rachel and Rebecca were in 'get-Jake-hitched' mode though and he had to endure all their knowing looks and probing.

"She's great; left yesterday for Seattle. She's helping her aunt with the wedding business down there." Jake bit his lip and laughed. "Alice is a damn relentless caller so Ness decided to head up for a few weeks."

He knew he'd be able to drive up to see her on weekends and they talked on the phone every day. He was happy. Rebecca patted his cheek and shook her head.

"I am going to go get dressed. Would you listen for Mrs. Uley?"

She didn't wait for him to answer before disappearing down the hall. Jacob smiled after her, happy to see his sister glowing.

* * *

Paul yawned as he rolled over, blinking sleepily at the figure peering down at him. Joseph Lahote grinned down at his son and handed him a soup bowl of coffee. "You need to go drop Clara Uley off at Billy's."

Paul frowned and groaned into the cup. He'd been hoping to catch up on sleep on his day off, not carting around Sam's grandmother and aunt. "Can't you go dad? I was on patrol last night."

Joseph sighed and glanced around the room for a moment. He knew that his son was tired and frustrated. It wasn't easy for him to watch his only boy suffer a fate he'd been spared so unfairly. "I have to go in to the shop. Daniel broke his foot yesterday and they're short."

Paul closed his eyes and nodded dejectedly, gulping down the scorching coffee before getting up and dressed. He knew that Ellen Uley wouldn't take too kindly to having a half-naked man driving her mother around, so he donned a t-shirt and a pair of his nicest cutoffs before grabbing the truck's keys.

He waited patiently for his father to join him before they set off. He dropped off his father at the auto shop and then made his way towards the Uley matriarch's house.

Ellen greeted him at the door and invited him inside. The house was just as big as Billy's so he was used to bending his head to get through doors.

Clara Uley was fretting with a button on her coat when he entered the living room. Her long grey hair kept getting in the way and Paul nearly choked at her mumbled curses.

"Mrs. Uley." He greeted with a smile. He'd always liked Sam's grandma. "Are you ready to go?"

Clara offered Paul a dimpled smile and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. "Thank you, Paul."

They bid Ellen goodbye and set off towards Billy Black's house. It was a pleasant enough ride with Clara providing most of the conversation. She was very excited to see Rebecca again – she'd grown very fond of the girl who'd worked in her shop for two whole summers.

"Rebecca tells me that the tea is for her sister-in-law. Poor girl's been sick as a dog since last week…" Clara shook her head sorrowfully.

Paul nodded along absently and turned onto the path that led to the Black residence. He stopped behind what he assumed was a rental car. He could hear Jacob inside, talking to Billy and Rebecca's husband. He'd only met Solomon Finau once – eight years ago when they'd come down for Christmas – and he liked the man well enough.

"It's icy, Mrs. Uley, so I'll come around to help you out." Clara smiled at him and gathered her bags as he crossed around the front of the car. He helped her onto the pathway and held her hand all the way to the front door. Clara didn't even knock before she swung open the door and stepped inside.

"Good morning all." Clara greeted happily. "I come bearing gifts."

Paul smirked at the back of her head and followed her into the kitchen. The three men were all greeting Clara – who looked so frail beside Jake and Solomon – and he could smell bacon on the stove.

"Just in time for breakfast, I see." He laughed as he shook Solomon's hand and nodded at Jacob and Billy courteously.

"Becca's getting dressed and Grace is taking a warm bath, Mrs. Uley."Billy said as Jacob offered her his seat. "Do you want something to drink while we wait for them?"

Clara agreed to a cup of tea as she started questioning Billy about everything that had happened to him since the last time she'd seen him.

Jake sidled up to stand next to Paul, who leant against the counter. "Did you get a chance to talk to Leah?"

Paul nodded his head and offered Jacob a small smile. Though he wasn't in Jacob's pack, he still respected the man's position. It was his nature. "Quil got the message to Sam last night."

Jacob nodded and then grinned as Solomon approached them. The man was eight years older but still recognizable by the slightly scruffy beard and the gash in his eyebrow from wiping out over a reef. "Paul, it's good to see you again."

"Been a while." Paul chuckled. "How's life been?"

Solomon grinned and launched into a story about getting a veterinary degree and retiring from surfing for good. "I still do it in my free time but my competing days are over, man."

Paul nodded understandingly. He also knew what it meant to slow down. With the decline of activity from pack life, he'd learned to mellow out and had even resorted to taking anger management classes for a year after the Volturi thing.

He'd gone from the most unpredictable wolf in Sam's pack to the most reliable. It didn't help that he didn't have a love life to speak of like the rest of his brothers.

"Rebecca!" Mrs. Uley exclaimed as the woman in question stepped into the room. The two women hugged and exchanged pleasantries and Solomon rolled his eyes at Rebecca's comment about 'stubborn Finau's'.

"She gets it from Ma." Solomon chuckled. "Is she still in the bath?"

Rebecca nodded and set about preparing the goldenseal root tea for Grace. "I knocked just now and she said she'll be out in a minute."

The room grew comfortably silent as they watched Rebecca flit around on her toes. She was just like her sister, Rachel, even though they'd both deny it.

Paul nearly groaned as he remembered Rachel. Their short relationship had been amazing but he'd always needed to lie to her. It wasn't conducive to a healthy relationship and so they'd made the mutual decision to part ways. That had been little more than ten years ago and the last time he'd felt the need to see anyone.

His entire pack had someone to call their own and he was stuck with nothing but hollow feelings for a girl he was sure he hardly knew anymore.

He glanced around the room and swallowed thickly before catching Mrs. Uley's attention. "I'll be in the truck."

Nobody said anything as they watched him leave. Jake had sensed the tension on his friend and the instinctual part of him had instantly searched for the threat.

"Poor thing." Mrs. Uley muttered. "I guess seeing Rebecca reminded him of Rachel…"

Jacob frowned and glanced at his sister, whose eyes had widened as she registered Clara's words. It was no secret that Paul and Rachel had been together for the better part of a year but no one had thought that he would still have feelings…

"Oh." Grace's soft, slightly scratchy voice broke the silence. "Did I miss something?"

She'd felt the tension in the room like walking through fog. Rebecca's eyes were still wide and Solomon was trying to rearrange his face to something other than a scowl. It was Billy who reassured her that everything was fine.

"You should drink this three times a day until you feel better, dear." Mrs. Uley said as Rebecca handed Grace a mug of tea. She'd sweetened it slightly with some honey and Grace sipped at the warm liquid grateful for the soothing feeling it gave her throat.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Uley."

Clara patted the girls' hand and then her cheek, studying her eyes a little too intensely for Grace to feel comfortable. "You have a very calm aura about you but I sense a restless spirit in you, dear. Your inner wolf is screaming to get out…"

Jacob snorted at the shocked look on Grace's face. They'd all forgotten to warn her about Clara Uley's eccentricity. She often wove Quileute legends into her readings and healing sessions. Grace glanced at Rebecca questioningly but the latter only shrugged and fought off a smile.

"Are you going to the bonfire?" Clara inquired. "I could bring you some oils to help with sleep and such things, if you want."

Grace nodded dumbly and then awkwardly fell into Mrs. Uley's hug, eyes widening at her brother over the older woman's shoulder.

After another couple of minutes, Mrs. Uley bid everyone goodbye and wandered out to the navy truck with Jacob at her side.

Grace puffed a breath and glanced at Rebecca before bursting out in shaky giggles. It had been an experience to meet Mrs. Uley but Grace was happy that she had. She was feeling more comfortable with her brother and sister-in-law's decision the longer she was in La Push.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys!**

 **Please review – I'd love to hear your thoughts on Grace and my portrayal of the canon characters to see if I'm doing them any justice.**

 **Also, if you're interested you can follow my Polyvore account (nikkitine) for a chance to see character outfits and my cast. I'm not the best at it but I tried…**

 **(The next chapter might take a while since I have three assignments to do so please bear with me.)**

 **Thanks for the support, I really can't tell you guys how much it means to me.**

* * *

The beach was fairly busy by the time Jacob pulled his Rabbit into an empty space. They'd decided to take two cars in case someone wanted to leave earlier and he and Billy had gone to pick up Clara and Ellen before heading to the beach.

The Finau rental car was already there and Jacob glanced down at the beach as he helped Mrs. Uley from the car. He could hear Rebecca and Solomon introducing Grace to Collin, Brady and Seth – the former two laying on the charm a bit too thickly.

He let Ellen take her mother's hand as he went to help wheel his father towards the group. It was always difficult for his father to traverse the beach but the man's stubborn pride kept him moving forward.

Sol turned to greet the new group of people with a wide smile and then leaned down to help Jacob lift Billy's chair out of the sand.

Grace smiled as she watched the scene and hugged Mrs. Uley as the older woman approached. "Hello again."

Mrs. Uley grinned and pulled another woman closer by the arm, introducing her as Ellen. Grace could see the resemblance between them and guessed that they were mother and daughter.

"I see you're bundled up nice and warm." Clara teased. "Your cheeks are properly rosy."

Grace smiled again, ignoring the stares on her back from Collin and Brady. They'd been flirting with her since Rebecca had introduced them and, though they were handsome, she found the attention slightly uncomfortable. "I'll probably shed the coat once we settle around the fire but I'm trying to fight the flu so it's not really smart to prance around in shorts and t-shirts."

Ellen chuckled at that and then glanced over Grace's shoulder at the parking lot. "Mom, I'm going to go help Emily and Sue carry down the food. Will you be okay?"

Clara scowled at her daughter and muttered something about 'old, not dead' before turning away and starting a conversation with Billy.

Grace bit her lip for a moment before following after Ellen. "Mind if I help?"

"Not at all, we'll need all the muscle we can get since most of the men aren't here yet." Ellen grinned. It was a pleasant walk up to the black truck where Emily was unloading what looked like Bain Marie's filled with food.

"Wow." Grace breathed in awe. She hadn't believed Sol when he'd told her that Jacob could eat a lot but staring at the sheer amount of food before her she could only guess that he was right and that there were more like Jacob…

"Oh, hi! You must be Solomon's sister." Grace glanced over at the soft voice. She blinked at the woman in shock. Despite the fact that the right side of her face was scarred by three thick pink lines, her smile was warm and welcoming. "I'm Emily."

Grace swallowed thickly and forced her eyes to Emily's left side, sure that her own face had lost most of its color. She was silent for another moment before she managed to choke out a greeting.

Emily smiled knowingly and turned back to the truck to remove more dishes. "Mind taking some of those down so long?"

Grace snapped out of her stupor and rushed forward to grab two of the foil covered oven pans. They were fairly heavy and Grace grunted slightly as she fought to keep her germy mouth away from the food _and_ negotiate the stairs that led down to the beach. She didn't know where she was going but she prayed that she wouldn't fall over something and make a fool of herself.

"Grace!" Jacob's voice rang out from the side and before she knew it, the pans were out of her arms. Collin and Brady had taken them and, with Ellen's prompting, took them over to a long table.

Grace bit her lip and fought back laughter. She had made a fool of herself after all…

"Sol, go help!" Rebecca's voice called out, pushing Solomon towards the parking lot and yanking Jacob's t-shirt on the way.

Grace glanced around awkwardly at everyone staring at her. She wasn't one for the spotlight and being the center of attention of a group of people she'd only just met made her skin itch.

Mrs. Uley took initiative and pulled Grace towards Billy by the arm, asking about her life in Kailua.

* * *

He felt restricted in the hoodie and normal jeans after so long in nothing but jean cutoffs. Even the socks felt weird. He pulled into a spot beside Sam's truck and glanced around at the cars that were already there.

Sam and Jared were on patrol in La Push, since Collin and Brady were due breaks, so Emily had taken the truck. Sue's Jetta and Jake's Rabbit were there too. Embry and Quil, on loan for the night, were patrolling in Forks too.

He made his way down to the group and was greeted enthusiastically by Sue and Emily, who were the closest to the stairs. They seemed to be primping the food table and he smiled at the delicious smell.

"Smells great, Em." He hugged the women and lifted one of the foil lids to get a better whiff. "Really great… I'm starving."

"When are you boys not?" Sue pinched his side teasingly before glancing back at the group stood near the bonfire stack. "You should probably go reign in Collin and Brady… they're scaring Solomon's sister."

Paul chuckled and shook his head at their idiocy. The two youngest wolves in the pack hadn't imprinted – yet, he thought ruefully – and they were intent on trying to charm as many girls as they could.

"See you later." He squeezed Emily's shoulder before making his way over to where Collin and Brady were staring at the back of, who he assumed was, Grace's head.

The closer he got, the more he could hear their hushed voices and he rolled his eyes at them. "Lay off, would you? She's Jake's family…"

Collin turned around and appraised Paul with a smirk before glancing back at Grace. "You wouldn't say that if you laid eyes on her, man."

Brady whistled softly and made the outline of a woman's body with his hands. "Smokin'…"

Paul wanted to slap the younger men. He hated when they didn't listen… he was their third-in-command. "I said lay off. Even Sue's noticed and I don't think Rebecca would be too happy with you trying to make a move on her sister-in-law."

Collin opened his mouth to respond but shut up quickly at the look on Paul's face. Even though his temper wasn't as quick anymore, he was still not to be messed with. They both nodded and moved away from their spot, muttering dejectedly under their breath. Paul growled once and they promptly sped up.

He waved at Billy and Mrs. Uley, who were facing him as they talked to Grace, and then turned towards where Jake stood with Solomon.

Grace, noticing Billy's eyes shift, turned around too and caught the back of a head. The man seemed to be moving towards her brother and Jacob but she didn't recognize him by his clothes as someone she'd met yet.

"That's Paul Lahote." Billy said. "He works with Sam."

Grace nodded and turned back to face him with a chuckle. "I'll have to start writing down everyone's names to remember."

Mrs. Uley laughed softly. "I'm sure it won't be that bad, darling."

Grace heard her name being called and turned to where Rebecca stood with Seth and some new arrivals. The taller of the two women's arms were wrapped around the other's waist and smiling at something Rebecca was saying.

"Oh! Grace, this is Seth's sister and her wife." Rebecca exclaimed when she spotted her sister-in-law. "Leah and Autumn Clearwater."

Grace stuck her hand out to the two women in greeting. "It's nice to meet you both."

Seth cleared his throat and asked if he could get everyone something to drink before wandering off towards the food table. Grace liked Seth because of his carefree appearance and hoped she could get to talk to him properly during the night.

"So how do you like La Push, Grace?" Autumn asked cheerily, grinning at Grace as she patted Leah's hand across her stomach.

* * *

Jacob grinned as he glanced away from his Beta to where Autumn and Grace were perched on a driftwood log close to the fire. They'd hit it off instantly and had been sat together throughout the duration of the gathering.

"Looks like Autumn made a new friend." He chuckled at Leah, who narrowed her eyes at him. She'd been gently told to back off; as her wife found it hard to concentrate on anything Grace said with Leah hovering.

Paul laughed. Autumn looked completely wrapped up in whatever Grace was saying. He had yet to officially meet Solomon's sister but he didn't mind because, unlike Collin and Brady, he didn't feel the need to impress every woman he came across.

"Has Becca hinted at her big news yet?" Leah asked. It had been on Jake's mind for the past week now – to the point where even Embry and Seth were anxious to find out.

"Not a word." Jake sighed. "Rebecca's like dad; only sharing when she feels like it. Dad's hoping they move to La Push…"

Everyone's eyes flitted to Rebecca and Solomon. Leah knew that Jake thought his sister was expecting her firstborn. "Whatever it is, it's probably not that bad."

Jacob hummed absently and then grinned as Emily called for everyone to go eat. The wolves all hung back to let the other's get their share first.

Grace couldn't decide what to take because everything smelled amazing so she took a bit of everything and then followed Autumn back to their spot near the fire. "Why is there so much food?"

Autumn giggled and settled down, taking her time to taste the potato salad before answering. "The men and Leah eat a lot. It's a Quileute gene thing…"

Grace glanced back to where Jacob and Leah were piling food onto four separate plates. "You're joking! Where do they put it all?"

Autumn giggled again and savored more potatoes, humming as her body finally settled it restless need. "This is so good."

"Craving?" Grace inquired, eyes flitting to Rebecca across the fire. Autumn nodded with a sheepish smile. "I've always found that weird. I can't imagine ever wanting to willingly eat a peanut butter and pickle sandwich."

Autumn snorted and Grace patted her back nervously. Leah was suddenly behind them, glaring slightly at Grace. "Are you okay, babe?"

Autumn gave her wife thumbs up and a grin, eyes still watering a bit. "Fine. Grace just said something funny and I breathed and swallowed."

Leah still didn't look convinced but she sat down without another word. Grace swallowed thickly before tucking into her own food, not sure what to say.

She felt someone sit down on her other side and grinned up at Jacob. "Hey."

"Hey." Jake grinned. "How's the food?"

"Delicious."

Jacob grinned down at her and tucked into the food on his first plate. Grace glanced up and caught her brother's attention, grinning at him with wide eyes as she motioned to Jacob. Solomon raised his eyebrow in an 'I told you so' manner and winked at her.

"Grace, have you met Paul yet?" Jacob asked suddenly and Grace shook her head. "He works with Sam and I."

Grace nodded and started to lean forward to look at the man sitting next to Jacob but a soft squishing noise made her pull back and groan. She'd forgotten about the food and had most of it now smeared across her coat. "Shit."

"Oh no..." Autumn gasped and handed her plate to Leah without looking at her. "Come on, we can get that cleaned off."

Grace chuckled and followed after her new friend after handing her squished food over to Jacob with a stern word not to eat it.

Emily stood up from her perch next to Sue as well and followed the girls to the food table. Emily muttered something about an extra jacket under her breath and then headed towards the stairs while Autumn tried, in vain, to remove the food with napkins.

"This isn't helping." Autumn laughed. "I have some wipes in the car, wait here and I'll go get them."

Grace nodded and set about trying to detangle the potato salad from her hair. She was really lucky that her hair wasn't as curly as her mother's…

"S'cuse me." She heard someone mutter behind her and turned around quickly, banging her head against a firm chest.

She pulled back and rubbed her forehead, muttering apologies as she heard him chuckle and then reach over for more spaghetti.

She opened her eyes and studied the side of his face. He was, no doubt, the most handsome Quileute man she had met so far. He was broad shouldered and possibly just as tall as Solomon but his jaw line looked like it could cut diamonds and his lashes were thick and long, just about brushing his cheekbones. This must have been Paul.

She had just opened her mouth to introduce herself when a haunting howl rang out through the air. Grace squeaked and goosebumps erupted all over her body.

Paul had stiffened beside her and promptly dropped his plate as he scanned the forest. Jacob, Leah, Collin and Brady were rushing at the stairs, panicked looks on their faces.

Before she could ask what was going on, Emily and Autumn were at her side and steering her back towards the fire. They stripped off her coat as they went and Emily tucked an olive green jacket over her blue henley shirt.

She looked behind her worriedly, to where the others were disappearing but Autumn assured her that they were just going to check how close the howling was.

"We'll need to start packing up." Emily sighed. "We don't want to risk it."

Billy nodded sagely and quickly ordered Seth and Solomon to start dousing the fire while the women all started clearing food and carrying it up to Emily's truck.

"Does this happen often?" Grace asked Autumn quietly as they carried the uneaten desserts up. "The wolves, I mean…"

Autumn shrugged her shoulders and smiled wryly. "We're used to it by now."

Grace frowned at glanced back at Rebecca and Solomon confusedly – both of whom shrugged and carried on with their assigned tasks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four!**

 **I'm sorry for the weeklong wait! I was busy with driving lessons and I am proud to say that I am a confident driver now!**

 **Please, please review me with your thoughts. I love hearing them and if you do, I might feel inclined to write faster (blatant manipulation *** ** _gasp_** ***).**

 **Thank you to Liljaiiris, FlowerChild23, Miami12 and the one Guest that reviewed. And to all of you that clicked that follow/favorite button.**

* * *

They'd been trying to track the damn scent for hours. It had appeared out of nowhere on one of Embry's routes and no one seemed to recognize it.

Not even Jake.

 _We're not getting anywhere!_ Paul growled, skidding to a stop. _How the hell did we lose it?_

Quil padded up beside him and they stared at each other as they listened to everyone put in their own two cents. It seemed that this leech had simply appeared out of thin air in three different places before reappearing in three more.

Not even _Edward_ had an idea of the scent and the longer they took to identify the stupid bloodsucker, the more danger. Paul huffed as he paced, a steady stream of curses flying as he listened to Sam.

His Alpha was telling them that he would go talk to Jacob again and that Jared, Collin and Brady should keep to the south of the reservation. He would join Quil and Paul as soon as he returned.

Paul took off immediately, annoyed at their lack of success and tired from not much sleep the previous night. He had planned on going home after the bonfire and sleeping fifteen hours, at least. _Stupid fucking leech…_

Quil chuckled quietly but didn't comment. Paul caught a glimpse of Claire before Quil's mental walls slammed down and he smirked to himself. _You're such a sap, Ateara._

 _Wait till it happens to you, man._ Jared huffed. _We'll talk then._

 _If it hasn't happened yet, Jared, it isn't going to._ Paul took a sharp turn and doubled back towards the beach.

 _Maybe she's not even born yet._ Brady snickered and Paul snarled at him. He was irritated enough as it was without one of the clown twins budding in.

He passed a small hunting cabin that he thought belonged to Frank Callingbull and skidded to a stop when he caught a faint whiff of the scent close to one of the windows. It wasn't much but it was enough for him to move closer to see if he could hear anything.

He concentrated beyond the fluttering heartbeats of birds preening in the treetops, leaves scraping together, clicking ants in a long line up the bark of a nearby tree. Nothing. No sounds that indicated any movement – human or otherwise – inside the cabin or in the surrounding woods.

He sagged and glared at the little house as if it was its fault. He couldn't figure out why they hadn't found the vampire yet and his entire body ached with the knowledge that someone could've gotten hurt.

 _Paul, check the area near Billy's house again? Maybe we missed something._ Jared said probingly. They were all feeling the pressure – there hadn't been any vampires through La Push or Forks without the express permission of both Sam and Jacob.

 _We're gonna find it, man._ Collin supplied. _We're the best in the business…_

 _Collin, shut up._ Quil and Jared snapped as Paul neared the edge of Billy's land.

* * *

Grace giggled as she watched Solomon and Jacob argue over the last pieces of bacon in the pan. She'd spent the entire previous day in bed, drinking Clara's tea and not talking to anyone. It had worked and she felt much better; enough to whip up a big breakfast for the house.

Billy had gone out early with a friend; eager to hook some fresh fish and so the 'young ones' had been left at home to fend for themselves… Grace smiled into her mug.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Rebecca asked, smacking her husband and brother's hands away from the bacon and dividing it evenly between them.

Sol grinned at his wife and kissed her temple. "I offered to help Sam wire up a new project close to town."

His eyes crinkled at the edges, proud that he had made some new friends. Grace shook her head at him and sipped the honeyed tea. He'd always been the one who made friends the easiest.

"Great! I thought that we could go do something on our own then, Grace; if you're up for it?" Rebecca's face relayed everything that Grace needed to know. It was starting.

"Sure." Grace smiled, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. "Let me just finish up and then we can go."

Jacob glanced between the two women with raised eyebrows. His sister had been acting strangely keyed up all morning and now Grace looked about ready to burst out of her seat as well. "You gonna be okay on your own? I can go with you…"

"No." Rebecca kissed the top of his head – by standing on her tip-toes - as she passed him. "We got it. You can give Sol a ride to where he needs; we need the rental."

Grace quickly swallowed the rest of her drink and hummed as she practically skipped to go get her coat. She was happy and worried for Rebecca and Solomon all at the same time; it was a big change.

She met her sister-in-law at the front door, shrugging on her coat, and they grinned at each other as they linked arms. "We're leaving! See you later."

The two men inside grunted their goodbyes and smiled affectionately as they listened to the girls' chatter fade. Jacob didn't comment about the fact that he could still hear them after the car doors had slammed shut.

"When are you gonna break the news to dad?"

Solomon's head snapped up and he frowned at Jacob in confusion. He thought they had been fairly inconspicuous with their news but the look on his brother's face was enough. "That obvious, huh?"

Jake chuckled and nudged Solomon's shoulder playfully. "We all know something's up… we're just waiting to see whose bets pay out."

Solomon eyed Jacob suspiciously. He had warned Bec about her family's reaction to her news but he hadn't thought they would go so far as to _bet_ on it. "What'd you bet on?"

"Moving back here." Jake shrugged. "If I know anything, it's that Becca's been missing home. Even though she left after mom passed, she's been itching to come back."

Sol fought to keep any emotion off his face and grunted at Jacob's assessment. His wife was very eager to move back to where she'd grown up but it was only half the reason…

* * *

"You weren't joking when you said it was a bit bigger than the others." Rebecca stared up at the wooden exterior of the _house_. "How many bedrooms?"

"Three," The realtor, Mr. Xavier, smiled at his client. "But they're a bit bigger than usual. The contractors wanted to make as much use of the property as they could."

Grace sighed and glanced around. It was a fairly new build, only three years old, but it blended perfectly with the wooded area around it and Grace could faintly hear the Quillayute River not too far away.

She studied the file for the house, trying to find a fault. It had thirty-three acres of land, a detached carport and garage, partial basement and a shed for equipment – something Sol would love.

"It's perfect," Rebecca whispered quietly, eyes darting to Mr. Xavier. "I feel like there's some other catch, though."

Grace hummed in agreement. "Can we see the inside?"

Mr. Xavier held out the key and motioned for the ladies to step onto the porch first and then follow him inside. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside and Rebecca squeezed Grace's hand. "It has a vaulted ceiling with a view from the upstairs landing. The floors are mostly slate but the bedrooms have been carpeted."

Rebecca glanced at Grace and they nodded at each other before smiling at Mr. Xavier and splitting up. They had decided to scour all the houses they visited, compile a list and compare notes later on.

Mr. Xavier waited patiently as the women moved through the house silently. Each had a little black notebook and wrote down periodically – he was impressed, none of his other clients were ever _this_ serious.

"May I ask what you're writing down?" he asked as he helped Rebecca open the door to the mudroom attached to the kitchen. "I've never seen two buyers be so thorough."

"Our favorite – and not so favorite – things about the houses we see." Rebecca smiled at the man. "It was my sister-in-law's idea. That way we can weigh our options."

Mr. Xavier laughed. He had a nice laugh and Rebecca grinned at him.

"Becca?" they heard Grace call from upstairs. They heard her footsteps and then a squeal and multiple crashes. Mr. Xavier was the first out of the room and he gasped as he saw Grace lying in a heap at the foot of the stairs.

"Oh my god!" Rebecca rushed forward, only realizing a moment later that Grace was giggling. "Grace? Are you okay?"

Mr. Xavier had been ready to dial for an ambulance but Grace waved him off and pulled herself into a seated position. She was red in the face as she stared at Rebecca. "I'm cursed. I think I hurt my ankle because I was too busy staring at the lights."

Rebecca huffed out a breath and pulled Grace's foot into her lap, prodding at the ankle and gauging Grace's reaction. "I don't think it's broken but I'd rather take you to a doctor to be sure. Can you stand on it?"

Grace shrugged and took Rebecca and Mr. Xavier's hands, wincing slightly at the pressure. "It hurts but it doesn't feel broken. I can limp to the car, I guess."

Mr. Xavier grimaced and wrapped his arm around her waist to help her along. He hadn't ever had a client get hurt on one of his properties and he hated to think what would happen now that one had.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Xavier." Grace smiled up at him. "It's not your fault and I won't hold anyone but myself accountable."

The trio made their way to the rental car slowly while Rebecca promised the realtor that they'd call him again with their final decision. He seemed pleased that he hadn't lost them as clients and wished Grace a speedy recovery.

It didn't take long to reach Forks Hospital and Rebecca groaned teasingly as she took most of Grace's weight – the pair limping inside made quite a scene.

"Should I call or are you gonna talk to your brother?" Rebecca asked an hour later as they exited the ER. Grace had been given mild painkillers and crutches to keep the weight off her sprained ankle.

Grace sighed and pulled out her phone, dreading the phone call already.

* * *

"Are you okay now though?" Sam and Jared listened to pace outside, heavy boots crushing twigs and leaves as he went.

Grace sighed on the other end of the line. " _I'm fine. I just wasn't paying attention. Tell Sam that if they're willing to put up with a clumsy invalid, I'd like to be there. I'd like to see Emily and Autumn again._ "

Jared grinned at Sam and shook his head. Women were stubborn creatures.

"Only if you're sure..." Solomon said and they heard Grace groan in aggravation. "Okay, okay… tell Becca that we're just about done and that we'll meet you at the Uley's."

" _I love you._ " Rebecca's voice called and Solomon laughed as he rubbed a hand down his face. They were going to drive him crazy.

"I love you too."

The pair inside the house listened to him mumble under his breath for a minute as they packed everything up for the next day. He came inside a moment later and they glanced up at him.

"Everything all right?" Sam asked. It was the _normal_ thing to ask in this situation and even after ten years, he was still getting used to it. "Sounded pretty serious."

Solomon shook his head and helped Jared fold up and stash a tarp. "Grace sprained her ankle earlier. I swear she's trying to make me go gray before I have to."

Sam and Jared chuckled and clapped Sol on the back before grabbing their lunch boxes and heading outside. Sam tossed Jared the truck keys and grinned at Solomon. "What are women for?"

Sol laughed and hopped onto the bed, combing his hair from his face and shaking his head at his sister. It didn't take long for them to reach the little Uley house. Jacob's Rabbit and Seth's truck were also there, standing beside the small red rental car.

Sol was off the truck before Sam had stopped properly and he hurried inside quickly. Grace was set up in the living room; foot propped up on a throw pillow with a glass of iced water as she laughed at something Emily was saying.

Jacob, Seth and Leah were all sitting at the small dining room table with Billy as they watched the other women chatter and laugh. Sol visibly relaxed but shook his head as he strode forward to greet everyone.

"I told you I's fine." Grace growled as he hugged her awkwardly to his chest. "You're such a worry-worty-wort."

Jacob laughed loudly and clapped a hand on Solomon's shoulder. " _Mild_ pain meds…"

"Hey!" Grace pointed a finger at him. "I can't help I'm a lightweight!"

The entire room laughed as she held up her fists and giggled hysterically before taking a sip from the glass of ice water in her lap contentedly. Emily stood up and sauntered into the kitchen, followed by Autumn and Kim, Jared's wife. "Sam, baby, would you mind getting the grill fired?"

All the men breathed a sigh of relief. It was getting very crowded inside the house and standing around a grill, talking about 'manly' things sounded much better than being around chattering women.

* * *

Paul clicked his neck in as he strolled the last few hundred feet towards the Uley house. He could hear chatter from inside and outside and knew that it was going to be a busy night.

Sam, Jacob, Jared, Solomon and Seth were all crowded around the grill and Billy as he talked about his fishing trip with Charlie Swan that morning. He could smell the raw meat in a covered pan and his stomach growled loudly; he hadn't eaten since that morning.

He and Quil had chased the scent all the way to the water and hadn't stopped at all for a break. He was growing more and more frustrated by the minute but Quil had forced him to leave, stating that Embry would take over.

"Sol, man, would you go grab a bucket of ice and some beers from the kitchen?" Sam asked as Paul neared the house. "Seth go grab me a hoodie or something."

Paul slowed down and listened to the two sets of footsteps. He nodded at Sam in thanks. "Embry sprung me. We still haven't found anything."

Sam sighed and grimaced. Having an unknown vampire on the loose was never a good thing but having one on the loose that they couldn't find was even worse.

Seth returned with one of Sam's red hoodies and tossed it at Paul with a smile. "Good to see you, man."

Paul smiled back and stretched out the kinks in his back. "When are we eating? I'm starving."

Billy chuckled at their laughter and offered Paul some of the jerky he'd brought along. "It's on the dining room table. You're welcome to snack on that."

Paul shook Billy's hand and went inside, very aware of the very girly chatter emanating from inside. Rebecca and Leah were sat in the living room, folding napkins while they talked to Autumn, Kim and Emily in the kitchen. He smiled at each of the women and shook Solomon's hand before eagerly snatching the jerky from the table and tearing it open with his teeth.

"Oh, Paul!" Kim said. "You haven't met Solomon's sister properly yet, have you?"

Paul shook his head as he took a bite of the salty meat snack before turning his head towards where Rebecca was sitting. The recliner was empty but the indentation in it indicated that someone had been sitting there a moment ago.

"Bathroom." Rebecca giggled. "She'll be here in a minute. Just don't mind anything she says."

Paul was about to ask what she meant when a gasp pulled his attention towards the woman, leaning on a pair of crutches in the hallway that lead to the bathroom and bedrooms; she was staring at her own foot with a grimace. "Oh my god, I forgot I can't step on it."

The giggle that followed the statement clued Paul into the fact that she had medicinal help to manage the pain and he found himself grinning for no apparent reason.

Rebecca jumped up to help her sister-in-law back to the recliner. "Grace, this is Paul. He's one of Sam's friends."

Grace blinked at her sister-in-law as Paul walked closer, hand extended to her. Her big, round eyes turned on him and she blinked as a goofy grin spread across her face. "Hi, nice to finally-"

Paul stopped mid-step and all the air rushed from his lungs as he stared at the small woman sitting in front of him. She was blinking slowly at him now, leaning forward to grasp his hand in her much smaller one.

"'S'nice to meet you too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Another update!**

 **A bit of fluffy filler and Grace embarrassment from Jake.**

 **Hope you liked – let me know your thoughts (every single one of them… I love reading reviews).**

 **Shout out and loads of hugs to my reviewers and those of you that pressed the follow/favorite button.**

 **All the love,**

* * *

Grace frowned stared at the man in front of her. His hand was too far away to reach and he was just standing there; his brain seemed to be melting.

She dropped her hand and looked at Rebecca questioningly. "Is he okay?"

Rebecca was also staring at Paul worriedly, "Paul? Are you okay?"

Paul blinked twice and dropped to his knees in front of Grace, mouth gaping like a fish as he tried to form a sentence. He wasn't sure what to ask first but he couldn't seem to connect his tongue to his brain properly.

"D'you need a doctor?" Grace stage whispered. "Does he need a doctor Becca? Does he smell something funny? 'sk him if he smells toast… I heard tha's a sign of a stroke."

Paul huffed out a laugh and swallowed thickly before glancing at Grace's bandaged foot. "Are _you_ all right?"

"M'fine." She said with a scowl. "Just a sprain."

Paul looked at Rebecca, who was mentally questioning his sanity, and then at Leah. The female wolf was smirking down at him as her eyes darted between him and his Grace. "When did this happen?"

"This morning while we were shopping." Grace sighed, taking a sip of water. "I wasn't paying attention and _vroom_ …"

Paul couldn't help but smile as he watched her imitate the accident with her hands. She was adorable and everything he hadn't been expecting from his imprint. His _soulmate_ …

"Paul, why don't you go stand with the guys? I don't suppose you'd like the female chatter very much…"

Paul looked like he wanted _very much_ to argue with Emily's kind tone but one glance at Grace's confused face made him stand up slowly. He nodded without a word and left through the front door; hunger all but forgotten.

Grace giggled softly. "He's weird. Intense…"

"Oh, you have no idea!" Leah smirked, fighting back laughter as she glanced at Emily, Kim and her wife in the kitchen.

Talk quickly picked back up after that and Grace forgot about Paul; which wasn't very hard, due to her condition. Autumn and Rebecca took up most of the conversation.

"You haven't told us yet, Grace…" Autumn called a little louder to draw the girls' attention. "Are there any special men in your life back home?"

Leah shook her head with a smile, aware that Paul was zeroed in on Grace's every word and that he was going to likely flip out if Grace said yes.

"I don' date. Haven't ever…" Grace hummed. She seemed to be getting sleepier and her words were more slurred than before. "S'too mush 'fort to try and please _men_ these days so I jus' stay away…"

"And you've never met anyone worth the effort?" Kim questioned softly. She was the most soft spoken of the group but Grace could see that she had a fiery personality underneath the shyness.

"Nope." Grace sighed. "I guess s'not so bad. It jus' means that if he comes 'long, I can love him with every part of me 'stead of the pieces I have left 'fter loving the _wrong_ ones…"

Jacob blinked slowly and turned to look at Paul. His friend seemed to be hyperventilating and his eyes were darting towards the house every few seconds. "Relax man… you look like a dog in heat."

Paul's eyes narrowed at his friends' whispered words but tried to breathe in and out through his nose, forcing the slight tremors in his shoulders to ease up. "Shut up. I can't help it."

Sam's eyes were crinkling from trying not to smile and Seth was awkwardly biting his lip. Solomon and Billy were in a heated discussion about football but Paul could see Billy's eyes dart to him every few seconds.

"Sol." Rebecca called out, drawing everyone's attention. "Baby, Grace fell asleep; I think we should take her home so she can rest."

Sol bit his lip and nodded. He'd been hoping to stay and chat with Sam a bit more – to butter him up about a temporary job – but he knew he couldn't leave his sister like she was.

"Hey, Paul and I can take her home." Jacob offered. "I was just about to head out too and I know Paul needs to get home to pick up his dad."

Sol glanced between the two men – noting the casually eager look in Paul's eyes – before looking at Rebecca, who shrugged her shoulders. "You sure it's not a problem?"

"Never." Paul chuckled quietly. "Dad's shift at the garage ends at six so I'd have to leave soon anyway."

Sol sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks man, I appreciate it."

"No problem." Jacob grinned and slapped Paul's shoulder encouragingly. "I'll bring the car closer, you go get Sleeping Beauty."

All the men laughed and Paul deliberately slowed his stride to keep from skipping inside. He smiled at Rebecca as he passed her and caught the startled look she returned.

"Out like a light." Emily laughed. "I've never seen anyone with such a low tolerance to medication."

Paul chuckled as he kissed Emily and Kim's cheeks, hugged Autumn goodbye and squeezed Leah's shoulder. She winked up at him and he stuck his tongue out at her inconspicuously.

Grace's head was lolled back and she was letting out soft puffs of air through her nose. He had to swallow down the lump in his throat – she was so perfect. He handed Rebecca the pair of crutches before gently lifting his little invalid into his arms.

"You got her?" Rebecca asked. Paul's eyes were on Grace's face as he nodded and Rebecca gaped at the tender look he was giving her sister-in-law. She'd only ever seen her father look at her mother like that before she'd seen Sam and Emily together. Worry bubbled up in her chest but she beat it down with a stick; it didn't help making mountains out of a molehills. "Tell Jake we'll be home later on. If she wakes up and needs them, her pills are in her handbag."

Paul nodded and allowed her to awkwardly hug him goodbye before he carefully navigated his way outside to Jacob's Rabbit. Everyone watched as the mountain of a man slid into the backseat of the tiny Volkswagen, never once taking his eyes off the girl in his arms.

* * *

Grace felt warm on the entire right side of her body. It wasn't uncomfortable; just nice. She mewled softly turning her face and burying it further into the heat – which squeezed her closer.

"You all right, man?" she heard someone ask softly. She was too tired to try and guess who it was.

"I'm fine." The heat rumbled under her ear. The voice reminded her of chocolate ganache; rich and silky. "I just didn't think this would happen _now_. After everything…"

There were no more sounds so Grace sighed and drifted again to that welcomingly dark abyss.

* * *

Paul huffed as he watched the light in Rachel's – now Grace's – room turn on. He'd been laying just inside the tree line for most of the night. He felt slightly stalker-ish because he'd been listening to Grace mumble in her sleep but he pushed the feeling away and reminded himself that he was protecting her.

She was slowly making her way down the hallway to the kitchen, still mumbling to herself about clumsiness. He could almost imagine the frustrated look on her face and the thought made him grin.

 _You owe me ten bucks Quil._ Jared's voice interrupted his train of thought. _What did you call Quil the other day? Oh, yeah… Sap._

Quil laughed loudly as Paul growled threateningly. He knew that he would get a hounding from his pack about Grace but he had hoped against better judgment that they would leave him alone.

 _Hounding. Nice one._ Collin laughed. _You are a_ very _lucky man, Paul. Congrats._

Paul snarled loudly as he caught the disappointed tone in which Collin regarded Grace's face. He was about to snap at the younger man but Collin had caught onto Paul's feelings and quickly phased out.

 _Pussy._ Paul growled. _I'm gonna enjoy sinking my teeth into him if he so much as breathes in her direction…_

Jared chuckled. _Ease up, Paul._

 _Whatever._ Paul snorted and inhaled before gathering himself and shrinking back into his human body. "Idiots."

He dressed quickly, tucking his twine back into his pocket and then loped over to Jacob's window. He knew that Jake wasn't asleep but that he was ignoring Grace's movements in the house.

He knocked quietly on the window. "I'm heading home. I'll see you in the morning."

Jake didn't answer verbally but Paul could hear the bed shake slightly with his friends' laughter. To avoid causing a scene – as he usually would – he turned and sprinted into the opposite tree line, towards his house.

* * *

Grace grumbled as she sipped Mrs. Uley's tea slowly. She'd woken up more than an hour ago and felt like hell. Her movements were still sluggish and her head and foot hurt.

She didn't know how she'd gotten home but she thanked whoever had brought her; she didn't think she could handle having almost everyone she knew in La Push listen to her mumble in her sleep. Sol teased her for it enough.

Jacob's bedroom door opened slowly. "Grace?"

"Kitchen!" she called back. She took a bite of her buttered toast as waited for him to lope into the room as silently as he always did. For someone as brutish as he was – taller than even her brother; who was a literal bull in a china shop sometimes – she didn't know how Jacob Black ever moved with such fluid elegance.

"Hi." She nodded at his greeting and sighed as she swallowed her bite thickly. "You feeling any better?"

Grace shook her head and laughed wryly. "Just my luck… sprained ankle in flat shoes."

Jacob smiled at her put out expression. "At least it isn't broken."

"Small miracles." She huffed, sitting back. "So you brought me home?"

Jake rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled as he lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. "I offered since I wanted to call Ness and Paul helped me get you home."

Grace's head snapped up from her mug, a blush tinting her cheeks as she remembered the warm dream she'd had. "Paul?"

"He's a great guy." Jacob smiled. "He didn't even complain about the drool stain you left on his chest."

" _What_?" Grace's face felt like it was on fire as she fought down the images of the man's gorgeous face. It took her a moment to realize that Jacob was laughing and she narrowed her eyes at him acidly. "It's not funny, Jacob. It's disgusting and now I feel bad for putting him through that."

"Relax, honey." Jacob patted her hand. "I was joking. You did whimper and rub your cheek against him though."

" _Oh my god_ ," Grace dropped her head into her arms and groaned loudly. "I hate you so much right now…"

"He enjoyed it a little too much if you ask me," Jacob mumbled under his breath. He'd caught Paul's shit-eating grin in the rearview mirror a few times and knew, without a doubt, that Paul wouldn't have minded if she _had_ drooled on his chest.

"What?" Grace peeked out from under her lashes and glared at him narrowly. She hated to think what else she had done to embarrass herself in front of Sam's friend.

"I said that he knew you were a bit loopy from the pain meds… it's no biggie." Jacob said calmly, clearing his throat and standing up quickly. "You mind if I call Ness?"

Grace shook her head and laid her head back down, having lost her appetite for the toast next to her. "Tell her I say 'hi'."

She stood up and, on one foot, hopped over to the sink to wash her mug and throw the toast into the trash before grabbing her crutches and making her way back to her room.

The little white pills were taunting her from the bedside table and, after much deliberation, she dry swallowed one quickly. Her bed was just as comfortable as it had been when she'd crawled out of it.

 _I just didn't think this would happen now. After everything…_

The rumbling voice floated through her head and she frowned when she realized that it hadn't been a dream. She'd heard Jacob and Paul talking while she was half delirious. About what, she had no idea…


	6. Chapter 6

"You want to go do what?" Rebecca said, sipping her morning coffee and eyeing her sister-in-law warily.

Grace had dark bags under her eyes and was yawning every few minutes like she hadn't just woken up. She and Solomon had gotten back around eleven last night and Grace had been dead to the world when Becca had checked on her.

"I want to take my camera out." Grace blinked, stifling another yawn. "It's so pretty here and I'd love to see more of the town."

Billy smiled at the young girl next to him. "I'm sure we can arrange one of the guys to show you around…"

"Especially if you want to go out into the woods…" Jacob cleared his throat. "There are some strange things in these woods."

Grace giggled at his mysterious tone and the smirk on his face, nudging his large arm with her elbow. He winked at her and then made awkward eye contact with his father over her head. If only she knew…

"Hello?"

Jacob wanted to roll his eyes. Paul had warned him that he'd stop by in the morning but he hadn't expected the idiot so early.

"Kitchen." Billy called out. "Hello, Paul."

Paul glanced around the kitchen, deliberately saving Grace for last. She was sat next to Billy with her injured foot propped up on his lap. It looked comical, but then, there weren't any other chairs and Billy didn't look bothered.

"Just came to check up on the patient." He grinned at Grace's blushing cheeks. "And to see if you and Seth needed help tonight…"

Jacob scoffed quietly at his friend. He hadn't taken his eyes off Grace since he'd walked into the room – his second excuse was void. "No. We made arrangements with the folks that own the house and they said that there hadn't been anyone on their land since their last _guests_."

Paul swallowed thickly and glanced at Grace and then Billy. Both of them were frowning but Billy's was more out of frustration.

Their surprise leech visitor had gone missing but they were all still on high alert. If the Cullen's didn't know of any others in the area then they were well and truly in the dark. Paul sighed. "That's good then… I could use a break."

He did need a small vacation from the 24/7 patrolling he'd been doing – and he refused to admit out loud that it had anything to do with the tiny woman sitting with Jacob's father.

"You work for Sam?" the woman in question asked, biting her lip.

Paul shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "I work _with_ Sam on security around La Push. I suppose that means that I work for Billy, right?"

Billy's chest rumbled with silent laughter. "The council hires some of the guys on the reservation to keep the peace. It's part-time for some of them but Paul is one of our fixed employees."

No need to mention that he got paid a hefty sum of money every month – just like the others – from an account run by Alice Cullen and her uncanny ability to predict stock markets…

Grace nodded understandingly and smiled up at Paul shyly. "I guess that works. Makes me feel super safe…"

Paul's chest puffed with pride and he felt the urge to blush. He beat it down for the sake of not being teased by Jacob but he smiled back at his imprint wide enough to put the sun to shame. "Thanks… I try my best."

"And Sam owns the contracting business while you do private security for families in Forks?" Grace moved on, glancing at her Jacob for confirmation. "Right… I'm in the loop now."

Solomon barked a laugh and leant over to ruffle his sister's hair. "You're such a smartass."

"You love me anyway." Grace scrunched her nose at him before sighing. "All right! I'm going to go get dressed and start charging my camera and the extra batteries. If I want nice pictures, I'll need them."

"Pictures?" Paul asked, cocking his head at her curiously.

Jacob groaned and Rebecca laughed. "Yeah, Emily mentioned the other night that First Beach and the woods around La Push were beautiful in the daytime so our little invalid decided that it would be a good time to go out and photograph it."

Billy handed Grace her crutches and she squeezed his shoulder in thanks before making her way back to her room. "Billy said I could ask one of the locals to take me since Becca hates tagging along when I photograph."

"I'm sure that the local will hate it too by the end of it…" Solomon laughed, nudging his wife with an elbow. "You lose yourself completely when that thing's in your hands…"

She narrowed her eyes at him as her tongue darted out childishly. Paul chuckled and bit his lip as he watched her leave the room.

He pulled out the chair that Grace had been occupying and sat down, listening to her puttering around in the room as he absently paid attention to the conversation around him.

* * *

The little gray Uley house was silent as Paul walked inside. He'd left Billy's house only because Jacob had subtly forced him and even then, he'd stuck around the tree line for an hour listening to Grace and Rebecca discuss recipes.

"Sam? Em?" he called out; he didn't need to but it was polite. He could hear Emily in the guest room and Sam's heavy heartbeat thudded from the garage behind the little house.

"I'll be right there, Paul." Emily called down, sighing lightly as she ruffled some material.

He knew that Emily wished for more privacy from the pack but that she loved them nonetheless. He was there, he hoped, to give her some respite.

"Paul?" Sam asked from the door. Paul could smell motor oil as his Alpha wiped his hands on an old rag. "Something wrong?"

Paul laughed lightly and scratched the back of his head as Emily traipsed into the room offering coffee and banana muffins. "I wanted to talk to you about… maybe… if I could have some… time off from patrols."

Sam blinked slowly at his third-in-command and watched the man fidget with his fingers. He knew Paul was a hard-working guy and that he hadn't taken so much as a day off from patrols like he, Jake and Jared regularly did – for the sake of their imprints.

Emily set down a large cup of coffee and a plate of muffins in front of each of them and patted Paul's shoulder. "Grace?"

Sam almost chuckled at the sheepish look on his friends' face. He knew that Grace Finau would have had something to do with the time off that Paul wanted but he didn't think that Paul would look so guilty because of it.

"If you wanted time off, you could have taken it without asking." Sam smiled. "I know you need a break. We have enough members to handle patrols and if we really needed you, I know you'd help. Relax, man."

Paul grinned at Sam, humming around a bite of muffin as he thought about all the ways he wanted to spend time with Grace.

The photography jaunt to First Beach the first on his list…

"Just be yourself." Emily rubbed Sam's arms as she sat down on his lap. "Smile and be your usual charming self… she'll come around."

"Here's hoping." Paul mock-toasted with his coffee cup and laughed along with his oldest friends.

* * *

"Oh my god, these are amazing!" Autumn gushed as she studied the pictures that Grace had taken of a flock of seagulls picking at a crab carcass. "Morbid but totally amazing!"

Grace giggled and tucked some more hair behind her ear as she glanced around for more subject matter. She'd gotten a sizable number of photos – especially because the little pebbles on the beach made for a great background.

Autumn was good at spotting things as well and Grace was glad that she was spending some more time with her and Leah.

Leah hung back mostly, letting the more artistic girls flit around like giggly schoolgirls.

Grace bit her lip as she watched Leah survey the beach from the top of a large rock. She looked ethereal, silhouetted by the little sunlight that fought its way through the clouds, head bent down as if she were listening for something.

"I want a copy of that." Autumn whispered in Grace's ear as she sat down behind the photographer. "Gonna frame it above my bedside table…"

Grace smiled at the love in Autumn's voice when she spoke of her sometimes grumpy wife. There was no doubt that they had been made for each other and Grace admired their devotion.

"Baby, can we take Grace into the woods?" Autumn called suddenly and Grace blinked as she looked up at Leah. The taller woman looked slightly hesitant but nodded anyway, picking her way down towards them.

Grace hung her camera around her neck and grabbed her crutches. Autumn and Leah walked on either side of her, hands at the ready; just in case she fell again.

She almost told them not to worry but a sudden noise behind them startled her and she had to grab onto Leah as her crutch stuck in the sand.

She followed Autumn's gaze and found Paul running toward them. He had his shirt off and Grace found that she had forgotten how to swallow or breathe…

"Went around to Billy's to offer to take you out and found out you were gone already." He laughed. Grace blinked up at him stupidly as Leah started hissing under her breath.

Autumn chuckled and lightly traced two fingers over her wife's back, "You can join us anyway. I'm afraid I'm not much help in my condition and I can't expect Leah to carry Grace around – especially since we're heading into the woods."

Grace nodded and looked back at the looming forest and then at Paul's bare chest again. "That is if you're gonna be fine against the cold…"

"I'll be fine." Paul bit his lip and took Autumn's place next to his imprint. "We Quileute's are built for this weather."

Grace blushed scarlet and the four of them set off again. Autumn kept up most of the conversation but Grace found it hard to concentrate on anything other than Paul's warm hand at the small of her back.

"Oh! That'll look so nice, Grace!" Autumn pointed at a downed tree and the weirdly shaped mushrooms around it. "You could even photoshop it with some fairy lights… like fantasy stuff."

Grace smiled at Autumn's enthusiasm and looked around for a place to sit. It was difficult with the crutches and she always found that she took better pictures when she was sitting down or on her stomach.

"What?" Paul had noticed her preoccupation and grasped at the opportunity to help.

"I need somewhere to sit." Grace said shyly. "Like a rock or log or…"

"Me?" Paul offered. "There aren't rocks or logs near here but you could perch on my knees…"

Leah sniggered behind them and Paul sent her a warning growl, fighting to keep the open expression on his face. He wanted more than anything for her to say yes, for her to be so close to him.

"If you're sure." She nervously glanced around again for a rock or log. "I don't want to put you out…"

Paul rolled his eyes and set her crutches against a tree as he lifted her and asked where he should perch. Grace was mortified by the time she'd gotten a dozen good pictures of the mushrooms against their mossy wall.

"They look amazing." Paul whispered and Grace shivered as his warm breath tickled the side of her neck. "We make a good team."

She turned to smile at him and found his face inches from hers. They blinked at each other and her eyes fell to his lips – full and slightly parted and _waiting_ …

Paul blinked and cursed himself internally; pulling away before he did something stupid. He wanted to kiss her – God knows how much – but it was too soon and he was hellbent on making their first kiss perfect. Fairy-tale perfect.

They spent another hour and a half like that. She and Autumn would spot different things and Paul and Leah would lend a hand as they navigated their way around various shots and angles. It was the most fun Grace had had since finishing her degree and she was left giggling all the way home after they'd greeted Paul in the parking lot.

She'd wondered how he'd gotten to First Beach without a car but Leah just laughed and said that he liked to jog a lot. She'd brushed it off with a shrug but couldn't help but wonder…

* * *

Paul stared up at the tiny house he and his father shared. He'd never given much thought to it – not since it was only a place to sleep after he'd finished patrol. However, now that he had a new perspective on life…

"We need to do something to fix this place up, pop." His father glanced up from the book he'd been reading to stare. Paul was frowning at the roof with his hands on his hips. "I mean, how have we been living with a roof that leaks in three different places?"

Joseph watched his son pace around their little shoebox house for a while, stunned to silence at the sudden interest the boy was taking to a place he only ever spent five hours in – to sleep. "What's all this about?"

Paul paused his inspection of the kitchen. He'd forgotten that his father didn't know about Grace yet… and he wanted to keep it that way for a while. At least until he'd fixed the house enough to bring her in to meet his father.

"I've gotten some time off from patrol." Paul shrugged. "Thought I'd use it to fix this place up like we always wanted… maybe even add a few rooms for extra space."

Joseph didn't know what to do other than laugh but he indulged his son, getting up to walk through the small house together to discuss options.

* * *

Grace smacked Sol's arm as he stuffed his face with the honey pork chops she and Becca had spent the afternoon on. Jacob was handling it much better than her brother but only barely.

Billy laughed heartily at the shamed face his son-in-law gave Grace and complimented the young girl on her deliciously creamy mashed potatoes.

"It was a favourite growing up." Solomon said, remembering to swallow his food before talking. "I haven't had it since I left the nest and Grace has been stingy with Ma's recipe."

Rebecca kissed his cheek consolingly and thanked Jacob when he stood and started clearing plates off the table to give Grace break.

They'd made apple pie to accompany their meal and the boys hurried to finish the dishes so that Rebecca could dish up desert.

"I got a call from Xavier this morning." Rebecca whispered to Grace when she was sure her father wasn't paying attention. "Our offer on the Quillayute River house has been accepted. The people selling want it done ASAP."

Grace squealed, drawing attention, and blushed when Billy asked if she was all right. "I jostled my foot. I'm fine…"

She saw Jacob smirk and hid her own smile as Rebecca rummaged through the cupboards for plates and glasses. She dug out a bottle of sparkling wine and smiled at Sol before turning to her father and brother.

"We have news." Solomon said, grasping Rebecca's hand and kissing her wrist. "We made an offer on a house here and it's been accepted."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Jacob exploded into loud cheers and started swinging his sister around as she giggled. Billy was shaking Sol's hand, small tears in the corners of his eyes.

Jacob pulled Grace closer as well and she slapped his chest as she felt his rumble against her side from laughter.

"Now all we have to do is move all our stuff from Hawaii and we'll be set." Rebecca's smile was twice as wide as her brothers'. "I have an art teacher job lined up at the Rez school and Sol's been offered a job at the Animal Hospital starting in the new year."

Billy kissed his daughter's cheek and hugged her to his chest.

"What about you, Grace?" Jacob smiled down at her. "You got a job lined up?"

Her face fell and Sol and Rebecca glanced nervously from her to Jacob. He sensed the tension and frowned as she bit her lip and sat down, fiddling with her fingers.

"I'm not moving with them, Jake." She cleared her throat. "I have a life back in Kailua. I fully support Sol and Rebecca's choice; I just don't think _I'm_ ready to move away from home, you know?"

Jacob and Billy shared a worried look as Rebecca tried to save the moment by handing out glasses – hoping that no one noticed the sparkling grape juice bottle behind the wine.

* * *

 **A/N: I have a poll up on my profile about possible sequels. Keep in mind that any sequels will be a while off and this is just so I have an idea of what you guys want.**

 **All the love,**

 **Nikolene.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Update is a little early but since I'll not be able tomorrow or Friday (like I wanted to), I'll do it now. Please read the A/N at the bottom of the chapter and enjoy.**

* * *

Grace was alone. Sol and Becca had taken Billy to their new home to show him around and Jacob was working.

She had fully intended to stay in bed and laze the day away but her mind had other plans. She dragged her laptop out to the kitchen where she set it up next to her camera so that she could download all the photos.

Autumn's words about the fairy lights had given her an idea and she wanted to see if it would work and look as good as it did in her head.

She'd gone with Solomon when he'd taken a trip to the local animal sanctuary. He wanted to see what the wildlife vets got up to and she'd tagged along for the photography opportunities.

It was how she'd landed her job there as a part-time photographer for school fieldtrips.

She'd gotten a lot of photos of the local wildlife and of a huge mountain lion that had been found in a cage in some random idiot's backyard.

She zoomed in on the beautiful creature and smiled as she wondered if she could work her into one of the beach photos. Perhaps next to Leah on the rock…

She smiled as she set about importing and copying the photos she wanted to use and cracked her knuckles before hobbling towards the kettle to make some more tea. She felt a whole lot better but Mrs. Uley had promised her that she could continue drinking the tea after her flu had disappeared.

The pictures she'd taken in the forest were her favorite. They looked amazing and she blushed at the memories of getting them.

Paul had been a very patient perch and he had a knack for pointing out the tiniest details that could make the photo better. It obviously didn't hurt that she thought he was gorgeous.

She knew it was pointless since she'd be going back to Kailua once her foot had healed up. Becca and Sol had found a house faster than expected but she was happy for them; she was just unsure what she'd do with them gone.

She knew she had to go back. She needed to send them their packed-up stuff and handle the open house on their behalf; because heavens knew the realtor was a harpy.

It made her sad that she'd have to leave. She liked Jacob's banter and funnily pronounced Hawaiian and Billy's stories and Clara's unconventionality and Emily's warmth and Autumn's friendship…

And Paul. She liked Paul because he was funny and strong and kind and… everything she'd always thought she'd need in a man; even though she'd only known him three full days.

Jacob found her an hour later, glaring at her computer screen as she mumbled something technical under her breath. She hadn't noticed his entrance and he tiptoed to stand behind her and almost choked when he saw what she was working on.

Leah was standing on a rock in the forest, staring down at a snarling mountain lion. "Holy shit, did you take that?"

Grace screamed loudly and Jacob grunted as he lunged to set her back upright after she'd toppled sideways. She'd knocked her tea mug to the ground and grimaced at it – she'd pay Billy back as soon as she was back in Kailua.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she crossed her arms angrily and watched him clean up and chuckle at her. "It's not funny, Jake, with my luck… I could have cracked my skull open."

Paul would have flayed him if she'd gotten hurt and Jacob sobered up and apologized profusely as he settled in a chair next to her.

"It's a good picture though…" he pointed at the lion. "How'd you do that?"

"Photoshop." Grace showed him the three original pictures. "Leah's a good subject and I thought I might do something nice for Autumn after this… you know?"

Jacob grinned at her at the thought of Leah willingly being the subject of a photographer. "Does Leah know you have this?"

Grace shook her head and pointed a warning finger at him as she opened Leah's photo again. "I've only noticed that she has tattoos now. What's the one on her shoulder mean?"

Jacob shifted in his seat and Grace glanced up at him questioningly. "We all have them. It was like a friendship thing a few years back…"

Grace smiled and zoomed in on the tattoo that all bound them to pack life. "I love it. It looks like a wolf…"

"Wolves are the Quileute ancestor." Jacob said nonchalantly. "There are legends that say we're descended from wolves… blah blah. It seemed kind of fitting."

"Oh!" Grace's face lit up. "Becca's told me all the old stories – she says your dad used to tell them at bonfires. It must be great knowing you're part of such a rich history…"

Jacob blinked down at the girl and cleared his throat uncomfortably before standing up and offering her something to drink.

"Spirit wolves." Grace giggled. "I'd give my left big toe that it was real so I could catch one on film… it'd be amazing."

"What?" Sol's voice pulled their attention and she smiled at Billy as Jake removed more mugs.

"Grace was just lamenting that the old stories about the spirit wolves aren't true." Jacob coughed and glanced at the floor. "She wants to take photos of them…"

Rebecca laughed and patted Grace's shoulder. "Don't be so sure that they aren't real… I've heard the stories enough that even I believe they _could_ be real."

Jacob could hear the teasing tone in his sisters' voice and shook his head as Grace sighed dreamily. "Wolves the size of small cars… they'd look amazing surrounded by the forest and fireflies as a background."

"It'd be a great gallery piece, tita." Solomon smiled. He rubbed his hands over her shoulders. "You'd be famous."

"I would not." She said, crossing her arms. "Could you imagine the stupid people that would come down here to hunt them? No, I'd keep them to myself because I'm not cruel enough to make a buck over the safety of something as magical as that."

Rebecca kissed Sol's head. "Well, it won't ever come to that because despite our best wishes… they aren't real."

"Would the ' _Cold Ones_ '… the vampires, I mean, that's what they are, right? Would they show up on film?" Grace murmured and Jacob choked on his coffee as Solomon and Rebecca laughed at the idea.

* * *

Paul wiped his hands against his jeans nervously. He could hear Grace and Rebecca in the kitchen, pattering like women often do when they've been left at home alone.

He hadn't seen her in two days because he'd been helping his dad with the house – and because he didn't want to face her when he knew he could get upset about her leaving.

Jacob had told Sam that Rebecca and Solomon were moving back but that Grace was set to go back to Kailua as soon as her foot healed up. He didn't want to deal with the fact that she was travelling more than two thousand miles away from him.

He'd lain in the tree line watching over her at night, thinking ways he could get her to stay with him…

Which was why he was standing on Billy Black's porch holding a bouquet of beautiful wildflowers and a picnic basket. He needed to convince her to stay; for the sake of his sanity.

"Are you gonna stand there and look all pretty or are you gonna actually knock…?" Jacob chuckled as he pushed open the door and then closed it behind him again. "Grace, there's a package for you on the porch."

Paul cursed Jacob silently and turned to leave but the door had already opened and he blinked as Rebecca's mouth fell open and Grace appeared over her shoulder. She was without crutches but still limping.

Her cheeks instantly turned pink when she saw him and he had to fight the urge to run his lips over every inch of her. Slow… slow.

"Package?" Grace sniggered and Paul heard Jake laugh. "You're such an ass, Jake. Come on in, Paul, it's drizzling."

He carefully pushed passed Rebecca and followed Grace into the living room and sat down on the slightly too small sofa. "How's your foot?"

She grinned down at him and his grip around the flowers tightened. "I got sick of the crutches but it's fine. Those are nice…"

Paul noticed her gaze and quickly thrust the flowers at her. "I saw them and thought about you."

Jacob coughed something that sounded dangerously like 'cheesy' behind them but he was beyond caring when Grace giggled girlishly and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"That's so sweet, Paul." Her dark eyes danced and he felt himself being sucked in deeper. "I love wildflowers."

His chest puffed again and he cleared his throat. "I know a spot where they grow real nice and I thought maybe you could bring your camera and we make a day of it…"

"It's raining." Rebecca's sharp voice suddenly cut across the room and Grace and Paul turned to face her. Stony faced and arms crossed next to her brother. "And I need Grace's help with something before she _leaves_ to go back home."

Grace frowned down at her socked feet as Paul's shoulders sagged at the reminder. Rebecca was glaring now and he turned his back on her.

"Yeah…" Grace fidgeted with her small fingers, hair forming a curtain around her face. "I promised I'd help Becca with the final details for the move. I forgot, sorry."

Paul willed her to look at him. To meet his eyes so he could convince her somehow to leave with him but she just gave a dull laugh and moved passed him.

Rebecca followed her with a last narrowed gaze aimed at him and he growled as Jacob's pitying gaze found his own. He was shaking like he hadn't in years and he swallowed down the bile in his throat as he slammed the picnic basket on the coffee table and stormed out of the house.

The cool air outside did nothing to help his temper and he was almost halfway towards his house when he had to pull over the truck to phase.

Back at Billy's, Grace stared at the little basket on her bed with guilt. Paul had been nothing but nice to her ever since she'd met him and she knew that he'd come to ask her on a date but she couldn't do that to him.

She was leaving in three days and she couldn't let him think that anything was going to _evolve_ between them. She needed distance…

With a groan, she opened the basket and peered inside. Blanket. Chicken wraps, mini pizzas, quesadillas, mason jars with various drinks. A box of chocolate. A small packet of pop rocks…

"Oh my god." She rubbed at her chest as it ached. He'd gone through so much trouble and she'd just brushed him off like it was nothing. "I'm such an idiot."

She stared at the flowers on the bedside table next to her camera and felt tears well up in her eyes. She'd made him think that she didn't like him…

She'd made him look stupid in front of Jake and Rebecca.

But she was leaving. She was going home and it was no use going on a date with a man she wouldn't see again for a good amount of time. "What a _mess_!"

* * *

 _Paul, man, where are you?_ Jared howled as he watched the landscape fly past his friend. _A local found your truck next to the road with claw marks in the door and the police are at your dads asking questions._

Paul ignored him and banked left to avoid hitting a tree. Everything was out of whack. His feelings were all over the place and he didn't know why. He needed to get away from La Push before he did something as stupid as kidnap Grace to keep her there.

 _She won't be able to stay away for long, man._ Quil sighed. _You know this. The pull is too strong…_

 _Could you just shut up? I don't need the pack psychobabble right now… I need peace and fucking quiet._

He skidded to a stop and phased out, ignoring his nakedness as he carried on his path by foot. He knew all about 'the pull' – he'd heard enough of it from his packmates but he didn't need to hear that it would slowly drive them both crazy the longer she stayed away.

How every time when he'd think about her, his chest would feel like it'd been ripped to shreds. And he was too proud to leave La Push to follow her to Hawaii and beg her to come back…

He wouldn't want her to think he was as possessive as he was feeling or that he was a creepy stalker. But he could go back and tell her where he was coming from. He could wait for her like a _normal_ person…

By the time he made the decision and started making his way back to Billy's, Jared and Quil had gone into full on panic mode – the leech had made another appearance near Charlie's place.

* * *

Grace looked up sharply when there was a knock on the door. Paul's father, Joseph, had called earlier asking for Paul and she'd found out that someone had found his truck at the side of the road with claw marks in the door. Jake had told her and Becca not to worry and she'd just stared at him as if he'd lost his marbles.

Billy had gone to Joseph's to hear the whole story and Grace and Jake had stayed behind while Sol and Becca drove around to look for him in case he was hurt.

"What the hell man-"

She watched as Paul pushed his way through the door - wearing nothing but a raggedy pair of jean cutoffs - and shoulder checked Jake. He had a slightly crazed look in his eyes on top of the fact that he panting and wet.

"Paul, where have you been? Are you okay?" she felt him shiver as she searched his skin for wounds. He was hot, as usual, and she blushed when he put his hands over hers to keep them firmly against his stomach. "Paul?"

He was staring down at her, water droplets hanging from his hair and the tip of his nose. His eyebrows were furrowed as if he were looking for something in her face.

"I know you want to leave and I know that you'll think I'm crazy for asking this but I _need_ you to stay."

Grace blinked up at him in astonishment. He did sound crazy and she opened her mouth to tell that to him several times but found that nothing came out.

"I need you to stay right here because I want to get to know you, Grace Finau, and I can't do that while you're in Hawaii. _This_ is where you belong." She gasped as he dragged her hand up to rest over his rapidly beating heart. "You're _mine_ now. Stay."

The next thing she knew, he had slammed his lips to hers and nearly knocked all wind from her lungs when he pulled her against his chest.

She hardly had a moment to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips. It was a very sloppy kiss and she was faintly aware of Jacob still in the doorway and it was all just too much.

It was the breaking point of her patience. At that moment, she was blinded by a five-course serving of rage that tasted bitter and left her face rigid, jaw clamped tight, teeth grinding.

She pulled back and hit him.

The slap was as loud as a clap of thunder and stung her hand. "Get out. How dare you disappear like that – leaving everyone sick with worry - and then come here like nothing happened? You are insane and I don't _ever_ want to see you again. Get _out_."

She didn't wait for anyone to say anything before storming into her room and slamming the door shut. She touched her bruised mouth and felt more tears as she heaved her bag onto the bed and began packing as fast as she could.

She could hear Jacob yelling in the front room and closed her eyes as she tried to breathe evenly and block them out.

He had been everything she'd hoped for in a man right up until the moment he hadn't and she hated that she'd ever entertained the notion of _them_.

Pain ripped through her chest and she sunk to her knees as she heard the front door slam.

"Grace? Honey, are you okay?" she sobbed harder as Jacob's soft voice and shook her head even though he couldn't see her.

She needed to leave now. The sooner the better.

* * *

 **A/N: I have a poll up on my profile about possible sequels – unfortunately only registered readers can vote but if you're a guest, go check it out and comment on a chapter with your choice. Keep in mind that any sequels will be a while off and this is just so I have an idea of what you guys want.**

 **Let me know what you think in a review. Shout out to orangeporqupine and yaaaaaasmickeeyy for theirs.**

 **Love,**

 **Nikolene.**


	8. Chapter 8

The cops had been assured that he was fine the moment he stormed into the tiny house – naked as the day he'd been born due to phasing the moment he'd left the Black house.

They were discussing something with Joseph and Billy when he passed them and yelled something about a bear and trees to send them on their way.

Billy had escorted them out with the promise that he'd stop by the station to provide a statement but Joseph thought otherwise when he saw his son tearing apart his room in a fit of rage.

It was as if the anger management classes he'd taken had never happened as he picked up a desk and threw it across the room. Joseph and Billy knew better than to interfere and they watched dismayed as Paul was reduced to tears in the middle of his bedroom.

Joseph didn't know what to do except stand there. He'd never seen this from his son.

"Paul?" Billy tried softly, wheeling forward despite Paul's shaking frame. "What happened?"

Paul snarled angrily and Billy hesitated his outstretched hand. Joseph ambled forward and kneeled next to Billy, pulling his son closer by the shoulders.

"What happened son?"

"I'm an idiot!" Paul snapped. "I let the first good thing that happened to me in _years_ slip through my fingers because I'm an idiot!"

Joseph looked at Billy and found his friend's eyes as wide as saucers. He obviously knew what Paul meant and it worried Joseph that Billy was turning away and rushing from the room towards the phone.

"Paul, exactly what happened?" Joseph coaxed and recoiled when Paul shuddered viciously. "Breathe, son."

"I imprinted." Paul said it like a curse word. Joseph's mouth fell open as he stared at his son and his arms went slack as he gathered the new information. "She's leaving and I fucked it up. She hates me now."

Billy wheeled back into the room looking worried and Paul sniffed as he heard a truck pull up to the house. The door slammed and he could hear Solomon yelling his name.

He swallowed thickly to force down his anger and stood. Billy and Joseph were avidly trying to hold him back but Paul ignored their feeble attempts to stop him.

Solomon was pacing in front of the house but straightened immediately when he spotted Paul. Disregarding the man's nakedness, he stepped right up into his face. "You sonofabitch! You stay away from my sister and Rebecca! I see you anywhere near Billy's, you're dead!"

He threw his body weight behind the fist that edged closer to Paul's face, it hit his jaw with such force that blood pooled into his mouth - more force than either of them expected. Paul took it, he knew that if he were to hit her brother, Grace would never forgive him.

Sol growled and rushed past him to wheel Billy back to the truck and without another word, they were gone and Paul was left standing in his driveway with blood dripping down his chin and his father looking on worriedly.

* * *

Grace kissed Rebecca's cheek and apologized again for ruining everything.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Rebecca said fiercely. "I don't know what in the hell has gotten into Paul so don't you dare blame yourself."

Grace smiled without warmth and thought again that maybe she was overreacting to the whole thing but then they called her flight and Becca pulled her closer for another hug.

"I'll call you as soon as I land." She said as she tugged her bag over her shoulder. "Tell Sol I love him and I'll see you all as soon as I can."

"Of course!" Rebecca laughed. "You'll have auntly duties to perform, young lady!"

Grace laughed quietly and waved one last time as Rebecca disappeared behind a screen. Her shoulders sagged as soon as she was out of Rebecca's comforting presence.

She handed over her boarding pass and listened to the flowery flight attendant's greeting. She was sure her somber face had startled the woman but Grace applauded her acting ability.

She offered her neighbor a distant smile as she sunk into her seat and let out a puff of air. She was bone tired and wished nothing more than to crawl into her bed and lie there for a month.

Paul's face appeared behind her eyelids – the kicked puppy face he'd made when she'd yelled at him – and she nearly groaned out loud. Or so she thought.

"It can't possibly be that bad…" Her neighbor was smirking at her, brushing aside her short hair. Brown eyes sparkled knowingly and Grace considered her options. "Come on… we might never see each other again. This is an amazing opportunity to vent."

"Are you one of those people that feed on others' misery?" Grace sat back and regarded the woman critically. She didn't look malicious but people always knew how to hide the worst parts of them behind kind smiles.

"Not at all." The woman snorted and extended a hand. "I'm Kelly."

"Grace."

Kelly laughed loudly at that and Grace could sort of see the hilarity. What were the chances of meeting someone who completed a famous person's name with you…

"Now, what's making your face look so sour?"

"I don't think you're ready for this kind of crazy…"

Kelly's eyes lit up eagerly and Grace laughed quietly. She watched her new friend pull her legs underneath her as she launched into the entire story.

* * *

Sam stared down at his hands as Paul shuddered again in his seat across the table.

He'd had to order his friend not to phase because, heaven knows, Paul would have taken off like Jacob had done before Bella's wedding.

They had to try and keep him calm long enough to figure out what to do. Sol had slammed the phone in his ear and Rebecca had told Emily not to get involved in their family's business.

The longer Paul stayed in a rage at himself, the worse the explosion would be and he couldn't risk having one of his pack running around pissed and uncaring.

"Paul, man, breathe slower." Jared said gently, "Sam, he's losing it. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know." Sam stood and looked around the tiny Lahote household. "It's bad though. I think Grace's rejection might have sent him over the edge; he hasn't been like this in years."

Jared stepped back when Paul snarled at the sound of his imprint's name and gulped when Paul sprang to his feet and gripped the table in front of him.

"Leech." Was all they heard before he launched himself through the house and outside. He couldn't phase but all his instincts were screaming at him to find and kill the vampire he'd scented ten minutes ago.

He ignored Sam and Jared's voices as he stumbled into the forest after the sickeningly sweet scent. It was the same bloodsucker that they'd been trailing – the one who'd decided to stop by Charlie's place the day his life had fallen apart.

"Paul!" Sam yelled and he hesitated. "Phase! You can't run after a leech like this!"

Paul almost cried in relief when he landed on all fours after the heat abated. As soon as he'd huffed through the feeling, he set off after Sam and Jared.

 _This leech is_ dead _!_

Sam ignored the venom in Paul's tone and pushed himself harder. The vampire was messing with them; he just didn't know why.

They followed the trail towards one of the routes they'd followed the first night they'd caught its scent. Sam slowed and sniffed the air – something was wrong.

The area around the Callingbull hunting cabin was strong with the scent. Frank had grown too old to come out here so it would be the perfect hiding spot for a leech yet the scent didn't go any further than the windows of the small building.

 _Jared, go to Billy's and have him call Frank about the cabin._ Jared's head bobbed and he raced away as Paul paced around, taking in as much of the scent as he could. _Paul, I need you to run perimeter and get word to Jacob about this._

Paul's eyes narrowed but he obeyed and set off toward the direction of the Cullen cottage. At least if he was busy he couldn't concentrate on Grace…

* * *

Grace inhaled the refreshing Hawaiian ocean scent as she stepped out onto her balcony. She was cradling a cup of coffee – provided by her new best friend.

After telling Kelly everything about her time in La Push, the woman had made it a mission to distract her from it by probing about her life in Hawaii.

By the end of the five-hour flight, she'd walked away with a new friend and a potential new contract with Kelly's company. "Grace Finau, coffee photographer…"

Her phone beeped and she smiled at the silly emoji from Kelly. They'd parted at Honolulu International since Kelly was only in Hawaii for the week on a business meeting.

 **I'll be talking to my boss about the job, get back to you ASAP. ;P**

She giggled and replied with a quick 'thanks' and a thumbs-up emoji before checking her voice messages.

Two from Rebecca and a third from an unknown number she didn't even dare listen to. The ones from Rebecca were to tell her that she'd left one of her lenses at Billy's and that Sol had punched Paul in the face for upsetting his sister.

Grace frowned and, despite her best efforts not to, wondered if Paul was alright. She shouldn't have wanted to call him and make sure he hadn't gotten too hurt. She shouldn't have cared…

So, why did she?

"Grace!"

Her head snapped towards the familiar voice and she grinned as she waved down at her downstairs neighbor who was clutching her cat. "Aloha Nani! How is Mr. Kekoa?"

"Grumpy." Nani yelled as she held up the grizzled tabby as evidence. "Little shit tried to escape through the window while I was cleaning."

Grace sniggered and waved as Nani left to go back inside. She'd known Nani Kekoa for five years now and every day her cat tried to give the poor woman the slip.

She didn't have anything to do today so she decided to head down to Lanikai Beach to watch the surfers and stuff her face at Buzz's.

It felt good to walk around in a beach dress and flip flops. She loved La Push but the weather was depressing – even after a week – and she'd missed the sun.

Her waiter took her order and left with a smile. Despite the lunch hour, the restaurant wasn't very busy; mostly couples being lovey-dovey. She felt her heart clench and dropped her head into her hands as Paul's face appeared again.

She heard her phone ringing and, thinking it was probably Solomon or Rebecca, she answered it without looking.

"Hey, I thought you'd have called earlier…"

She heard the other person exhale shakily and frowned as she pulled back to look at the number. It was the same one that had left her the unheard voicemail.

" _Grace… I'm sorry._ "

She almost threw the phone across the room but managed not to. "Where did you get this number?"

" _I got it from Jacob's phone._ " He sounded miserable and Grace felt her stomach flip uncomfortably with the need to comfort him. " _I understand if you put the phone down in my ear… I just wanted to find out if you were okay and to tell you that I'm sorry for acting like an ass._ "

Her throat had constricted and tears had pooled in her eyes, blurring her vision. "Why?"

She didn't know if he heard or even understood the question but she heard him laugh humorlessly. It was silent for a long moment and Grace almost thought he'd hung up.

" _Because I'm an idiot. I haven't… ever met anyone like you and I didn't know how to deal with that._ "

Grace snorted and felt a muscle in her neck tense up. "You were doing just fine until the moment your brain short circuited, Paul. What happened to the sweet, considerate guy on the beach?"

" _You were leaving._ " She heard something slam in the background. " _You were leaving and I needed to make you stay…_ "

"Listen to yourself!" she hissed into the receiver. "You make it sound like I'm your property! I don't know how many girls you've dated but quick tip... we don't like being objectified."

She heard him growl and nearly slammed her head onto the table but his voice turned softer and her heart sputtered. " _I said you were mine because the moment I saw you, my_ soul _recognized yours and you're exactly what I've been looking for, Grace. I'm yours too, and I'm sorry for everything. I'm so sorry…_ "

The line died and Grace wiped at her face furiously as her waitress set the ahi wrap she'd ordered down in front of her.

"You okay, Hun?"

"Fine." Her tone implied that she was the exact opposite of fine but the waitress just shrugged and left her to her misery.

* * *

 **A/N: Go check out the poll on my profile. It's the last week for voting guys and I'll be announcing the winner in the Authors Note of the next chapter.**

 **Let me know what you think in a review.**

 **Love,**

 **Nikolene.**


	9. Chapter 9

Paul was ready to snap. It had been a week since that phone call.

A week of wondering how he was going to get around Sam's order not to leave La Push to go after her. Sam had said that he _understood_ and that it was _best_ that they let her work it out herself.

He'd tried not to phase since – too ashamed of the angry thoughts running through his head about his Alpha to let anyone else hear them.

Instead, he'd started going to work with his dad. The cars were much better built to handle his angry movements and he could tell that his father was happy to keep an eye on him.

Clara had stopped by one night to give him a tray full of lasagna and a lecture about letting Grace make her own decisions instead of pushing her into a corner. The lasagna had been put in the freezer as punishment. Even Emily had been angry at him about it all.

He glanced up from the vintage mustang that he'd been working on for Deputy Mark. He'd bought the thing off eBay on a whim, to his wife's chagrin, and found out that it way more problems than what was advertised. "Dan, where are those filters I ordered for the Mustang?"

"Arrived yesterday, they're in the back." Daniel wiped his face, smiled over Paul's shoulder and waddled closer on the moonboot supporting his broken foot. "Incoming."

Paul hoped for a second before turning around and sagged when he noticed Renesmee's car pulling up. Jacob had insisted that she buy a small car – not the speedster her _aunt_ and father had been thinking about. The brand-new little VW Beetle was perfect for Renesmee according to Jake. Her only stipulation had been the lilac color and custom plates – _LochNess1_. Only she and Jake found it funny.

"Hello Paul." She hummed as she removed her sunglasses and sidestepped a few oily spots. "She started making funny noises halfway back from Seattle…"

He glanced at the lilac car and raised an eyebrow. "Jake and _Rose_ not up to the challenge?"

Renesmee laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Jake is busy and Rose is out of town."

He scoffed and shook his head. "I'll take a look at it. You can call someone to pick you up and I'll have someone drop it off at Charlie's for you when I'm done."

The tiny woman giggled and Paul cocked his head at her curiously. "I'm pretty sure it's just a loose screw or something… I'll wait. I don't have anywhere else to be today."

The tone of her voice led him to believe that she _was_ pretty sure exactly what it was but he wasn't about to argue with her. He motioned her towards the office where she could relax and took her keys so he could listen to whatever it was.

He'd only just gotten into the car and started it when she was suddenly sitting next to him. He groaned and made to get out but she touched his arm gently and he felt the pity course through him.

"Stop." His voice was rough and he breathed through his nose to avoid exploding. "I don't need your damned pity."

"Sorry." She mumbled and glanced at the space between them for a long moment before her face grew determined. "She'll come around. If she feels half of what I feel when I'm with Jake, when she's with you, she'll come around in no time."

Paul glared at the dashboard to avoid snapping at her. He knew she was only trying to help but he couldn't stand it.

She and Jake were happy. Though not as progressed as Sam and Emily and Jared and Kim, they were open with each other about where they stood and had never had to feel _this_ kind of agony.

Sam knew. He knew better than most exactly what it did to a wolf when his imprint shunned him and Paul was too prideful to talk to him about it. "Sounds like the left bolt on the engine block rattled loose. I'll tighten it and you can go in about fifteen minutes."

"Thank you." Renesmee didn't say anything else as she watched him tighten the bolt she'd partially loosened. She knew that he'd tell Jacob about it and Jake would throw a fit but it was worth it to find out how much help Paul needed…

* * *

The newborn baby's face was as sweet as a summer strawberry and filled Grace with sunshine-like happiness.

Anita Teller had been born only a week prior and her parents had wanted photos of their little bundle of joy as soon as was possible.

The mother, Helen, had sewn a collection of princess inspired things for the day and Grace was more than happy to oblige the woman.

"She is probably the most cooperative baby I've ever shot." Grace smiled at Helen and Charles. "I once had to call off an entire session because baby kept crying and tensing up. The poor thing had colic and the parents hadn't realized it."

Helen cooed sympathetically and Grace laughed as she snapped a cute photo of what looked like a smile. She knew that Anita had just relieved herself, but it was an adorable photo nonetheless.

"You are such a pro at this." Charles commented as Grace moved to reposition Anita so that she was laying on her stomach on top of the fluffy black rug.

"I try my best." She took a couple more photos before she handed Anita off to her mother for a diaper and wardrobe change. "It's easier when they're still this young."

Her phone rang in her bag and she excused herself to answer it. Rebecca's name flashed across the screen and Grace sighed; her sister-in-law had been calling every day like clockwork to update Grace about how selling the house was going.

"Hi."

" _I just spoke to Vaughn, she said that there were going to be some delays with the offer that the couple from Kapolei made. Apparently, the mother-in-law doesn't want them to sell or buy… they're 'going to think about it and get back to us'. Ridiculous._ "

Grace rubbed the bridge of her nose and chewed the inside of her cheek. "Yeah, the mother-in-law was a real witch. Kept asking if they were sure about the condition of the house."

" _Condition? Oh please, there is nothing wrong with it and she knows it. Sol kept everything up._ " Grace heard a mug slam down. " _Whatever. What's news on your end?_ "

Grace hummed noncommittally and beamed at Helen as she showed Anita's Belle inspired dress. "Nothing much. Kelly spoke to her bosses and they're drawing up a contract so I can look it over."

Rebecca squealed excitedly and Grace chuckled. It seemed her sister-in-law was more excited for the job than she was. " _That's so amazing, tita! I need to send this Kelly a card or something. This new job will definitely get your mind off things…_ "

Grace sighed in answer as the ache in her chest flared up. "Can I call you back later, Becca? I'm doing a session and they're waiting for me."

" _Oh, of course! Sorry, I'll call you tonight._ " The line died and Grace shook her head before returning to her clients with a wide, fake smile.

Belle was the last outfit and it took Grace twenty more minutes to get the photos she needed and then she was packing up and backing out of their drive way.

She'd managed to keep thoughts of Paul buried for the past week but now that Rebecca had mentioned it, she could feel the cloud of sadness roll in.

His words haunted her dreams and she felt _emptier_ every day – as if a part of her was missing. She didn't understand it and almost believed that they were connected; she was tired right to her soul and often wished nothing more than to curl up into a tiny ball and cry.

Her apartment block was silent as she parked under the awning and stared down at the phone in her lap. The number that Paul had used had been switched off and she didn't want to freak Rebecca out by asking Jake for a number where she could reach him.

As if the universe was listening, her phone rang with an unknown number and Grace hesitated a moment before putting it to her ear.

" _Grace? It's Jacob…_ "

She puffed out a breath before laughing. "Hey, I was just thinking about you. How're things?"

She could hear him whisper to someone and her heart stopped for a second. " _I have a huge favor to ask._ "

She frowned down at her fingers. "Sure, what's up?"

" _One of Renesmee's clients wants a beach wedding and she's flying out to scout some locations and talk to hotels. She wanted me to ask you if she could stay with you for a day or two since you're so close to Lanikai Beach…?_ "

Grace blinked in surprise at the question. She hadn't met Jacob's Renesmee but she sounded lovely and Grace would have liked to help. "I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem. I'd have thought people would flock to Waikiki or Hulopoe."

Jake chuckled nervously and Grace heard someone take the phone from him. " _Hello Grace. My clients heard that Beyoncé_ _and Jay-Z live in Kailua and they're chomping at the bit for a Lanikai wedding. I don't like arguing with brides… they're always a little tense._ "

The woman's voice was utterly beautiful and Grace gulped as a vision of the face it belonged to formed in her mind. "They're not here much but it is a pull. Barack Obama also has a winter house here."

Renesmee's laugh was just as beautiful. " _My flight leaves SeaTac tomorrow morning at nine… would it be a bother for you to pick me up?_ "

Grace chuckled and bit her lip. "Shouldn't be a problem. I'll be there at one and wait for you at the gate with a little sign."

" _Great!_ " Renesmee's enthusiasm was infectious. " _I'll see you then. Have a good night, Grace._ "

* * *

The woman that walked out of the baggage claims could have graced any billboard or magazine cover. Grace blinked as she watched the majestic woman peer around before spotting her and smiling widely.

Her tall frame and slender body were like of a Victoria secret model and she moved with more elegance than twelve Russian ballerinas. "Grace, it's _so_ good to finally meet you! I have heard so much about you… it's almost like we've known each other for ages. And you're just as beautiful as the photos that Jake showed me!"

Grace's eyes were wide as Renesmee hugged her tightly. She smelled like lavender and vanilla and her skin was as soft as silk. Next to Renesmee, Grace must have looked like a potato. "It's good to meet you too, Renesmee."

"Shall we get going?" Grace almost laughed at the girls' enthusiasm. "I'm starving! Haven't eaten since I left Seattle."

Grace almost snorted in disbelief as she led Renesmee toward the exit. "I can fix that. I've got some pasta in the cupboard and I've been craving chicken… sound good?"

Renesmee hummed affirmatively as she glanced around her in awe. They were in the open air now and Grace could see Renesmee succumbing to the tourist trap.

Once they'd reached the car, Grace helped load her bag into the trunk and they were off. Grace listened to Renesmee lament her first ever bride with a smile.

"It's my first solo client." She sighed as if it was an effort to think about. "My aunt runs the business and I've been helping her the past couple of months but she's finally let me take on something on my own."

Grace chuckled and turned onto Pali Highway and prepared for the twenty-seven-minute drive home. "I couldn't imagine planning a whole wedding… I just take the photos."

Renesmee grinned at her and Grace felt slightly strange being stared at so intensely but she shook it off and asked Renesmee about Jacob – which prompted her new friend to launch into a whole cheerful story.

* * *

 **A/N: A bit shorter than usual but I felt like the chapter had run its course and done its purpose for the plot.**

 **AAAANNND our poll winner is: Embry!**

 **So, after I am done with this story – don't worry, it'll be a while – I will start working on the 'sequel' involving Embry. It will probably be set a few weeks after the end of WitW.**

 **As always, let me know what you think in a review. Shout out to those of you that regularly do.**

 **Question: Do you guys want me to make a tumblr where I post things from twilight (aesthetics, gifs, quotes, ect.) or am I grasping at straws and should just let you read in peace with no further contact…?**

 **Love,**

 **Nikolene**


End file.
